16 



seed cotton into any desired portion of the storage house. In this 

 system, a few boll weevils may be killed by striking against the screen. 

 Those that pass through the meshes of the screen are forced through 

 the fan, where they are undoubtedly destroyed. It is safe to say, 

 however, that the majority will pass along with the seed cotton. 



"With one fan and vacuum box.— According to the second plan an 

 ordinary fan is used. The seed cotton is drawn from the wagon by 

 the suction of the fan, and separated from the air inside the vacuum 

 box by means of a wire screen. The balance of the operation is the 

 same as in the preceding case, except that a sand pocket is provided 

 at the rear of the screen, thus allowing a large portion of the debris 

 to fall into this chamber, where it is prevented from passing through 

 the fan. The accumulated debris is usually cleaned out at frequent 

 intervals and thrown about the gin yard, liberating any weevils that 

 may have passed through the screen, as in the preceding case. Though 

 some weevils may be killed by the action of the fan, the great majority 

 of them pass along with the seed cotton. 



With two fans and vacuum box. — According to the third plan, the 

 vacuum box provided, as in the preceding case, is connected with two 

 ordinary fans, the first of which is used for suction and the second for 

 blowing the seed cotton into an}^ desired portion of the storage house. 

 From the standpoint of controlling the boll weevil this arrangement 

 has no special advantage over the preceding one. 



The vacuum box is frequently used as a cotton dropper. In such 

 cases the seed cotton is dropped directly into a feeder standing beneath 

 it. If this feeder were fitted with the cleaning attachments, to be 

 described later, an excellent means would be provided for destroying 

 many of the weevils that would otherwise pass to the cotton -seed 

 storage house. 



Special droppers. — In addition to the above-described system, some 

 concerns manufacture special droppers which pass the seed cotton 

 over a large screening surface before it becomes dead and falls upon 

 the floor or is blown into compartments. The debris, which may 

 include weevils, extracted during the movement of the seed cotton 

 over the screen, passes through the fan, by the action of which the 

 insects would undoubtedly be destroj^ed. Such devices are useful 

 in reducing the number of weevils in the seed cotton before it reaches 

 the gin house proper, but none of them can be depended upon to 

 eliminate all of the weevils. Their work would be much more effec- 

 tive if the}^ were provided with beaters, or a series of beaters, to 

 throw the seed cotton against the screen, thus separating ever}^ one 

 of the locks. Undoubtedly one of the most important suggestions to 

 be offered is that more extensive use be made of these devices. The 

 more seed cotton can be agitated, the greater the probability that the 



