17 



weevils will be removed, and when the debris is passed through the 

 fan, there is no probability that any insects will escape alive. 



HAND AND BASKET METHOD AT GIN HOUSE. 



In this system the seed cotton is unloaded directly from the wagons 

 into baskets and placed in the feeder. The feeding is accomplished 

 by the movement of an inclined carrier belt which moves the cotton 

 forward and against the picker roller which separates the locks and 

 drops them directly into the gin breast. A considerable amount of 

 sand, gravel, and in many cases weevils, is separated from the seed 

 cotton and dropped either directly upon the floor or into the trash box 

 at the lower portion of the hopper. As a rule the trash, including 

 weevils, is thrown into the seed conveyors, whence it reaches the seed 

 boxes or cars. It will be readily seen that weevils are practically 

 unrestricted by this system, although the collection and destruction of 

 the trash instead of returning it to the seed would eliminate a large 

 number of them. The hand and basket method of feeding the gins is 

 in use at nearly 9 per cent of the ginneries in Texas and at 44^ per 

 cent of those in Louisiana. 



PNEUMATIC SYSTEM "WITH BELT DISTMBUTORS. 



In this system the seed cotton, either from the wagon or the stor- 

 age house, is drawn by suction from the fan or driven by a blower 

 against a wire screen. The fan or blower is placed in various posi- 

 tions in the gin house. The wire screen in the separator is the most 

 essential part of the apparatus. Its use is to separate the dirt from 

 the seed cotton and to prevent the seed cotton from passing through 

 the fan and being discharged either into the open air above the build- 

 ing or below into the receptacles for seed. Some manufacturers have 

 provided a box for catching the trash at the rear of the screen or 

 beneath the distributor belt. The seed cotton is dropped upon the 

 distributor belt and deposited in hoppers and open feeders resting 

 horizontally upon the gins. The amount of seed cotton fed upon the 

 belt is to some extent uncontrollable. When all the hoppers are 

 filled a surplus accumulates. This surplus seed cotton drops upon the 

 floor and is from time to time drawn up by suction into the vacuum 

 box or separator, whence it again reaches the distributor belt. 



In the distributor- belt system the seed cotton is dropped into an 

 open feeder, which is a convenient term for differentiating feeders 

 used with this system from those used with the pneumatic system, in 

 which all seed cotton and mechanical devices for cleaning it are entirely 

 inclosed. There are many different styles of these feeders, but the 

 essential point for the present purpose is that they are all open. The 



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