SEED AND oil. 



GOSSYPIUM 



COTTON SEED 



Oil and Cake 



ricuhurv) in a paper on cotton oil-need (Agri. Letlg., 1903, No. 9), 

 Pointed out that the seed of the United Provinces is best suited for tin- 

 oil trade. 



nn. Aft. T i !: cotton (lint) has been removed, the needs are often subjected 

 in-lit calculated to remove any still mlln-riii of Muss. Tin- 



< ii-Hin-il s is an- then cut through and decorticated. It is particularly neceary 



that this should l>e done, since the cake aftn u t th>- -il i- used aa an 



article of tattle fo-nl. for winch it is generally believed it uould In* unfit wen- tin- 

 hulls attached. The quantity of oil usually present average-; tY-i-n -Jn (, -jr. p.-r 



if the weight of seed. But the process of manufacture varies ace< 



purpose for which the oil is destined. The decorticated seeds are subjected 

 to cold pressure, when from 10 to 12 per cent, of oil is obtained. This is of a fine 

 quality, almost devoid of ta-t. . and is accordingly largely used in cookery, being 

 specially valued for frying purposes. It is often sold in mixture with olive oil <,r 

 i- employed as an adulterant for the cheaper grades of that oil, or pure cotton- 

 seed oil is sold under the name of olive oil. It is also extensively utilised in the 



iction of lard. The cake obtained from this cold expressed seed is next 



ted to a further pressure, by the hot process, when an extra supply of oil is 

 obtained up to 10 per cent. By other methods from 15 to 20 per cent, of oil is at 

 once expressed by the hot process, from decorticated or undecorticated seed, 

 and the cake allowed to carry the balance. It is, in fact, generally believed that 

 the presence of a fair percentage of oil is essential, otherwise the cake is useless 

 for cattle food. But it should be here added that very little cotton-seed is in 

 India pressed for oil, though valued as a fertiliser. 



The sp. gr. of refined cotton-seed oil varies from 0'922 to 0-924, its iodine 

 absorption is from 105 to 109, and its saponification equivalent ranges from 285 

 ' k It has a slight tendency to dry, and congeals at 32 to 45 F. By 

 ieezing the oil the glyceryl salts, which are solid at low temperatures, are separated 

 id constitute cotton-seed stearin, an important ingredient of margarine. No 

 formation can be discovered regarding the extent to which cotton-seed oil is pro- 

 in India. A note by Burkill records his having inspected in Burma a 

 ling factory and oil mill owned by Jamal Brothers. The cake prepared is 

 cported and the oil refined. The husk is used as fuel. 



Cake. From fairly ancient records regarding the Indian cotton trade, men- 

 tion is made of the seeds as a useful by-product, employed to fatten cattle. 

 It is said that they do not at first like the seed but soon take to it very kindly, 

 id may be given a daily ration of as much as G Ib. In the Nagpur Experimental 

 2 seers of cotton-seed are given daily to bullocks in place of oil-cake. 

 Nevertheless in many parts of the country the seed is not valued even up to the 

 ent day ; in fact in India as a whole, the seed can hardly be described as 

 lywhere used by the Natives in the production of oil. The self -same cultivators 

 "10 grow the cotton plant will raise special oil-yielding crops, the oil of which 

 some respects may be even inferior to that of the cotton-seed which they 

 itirely neglect. This may proceed from the very generally accepted belief that 

 3tton-seed cake is less wholesome than the whole seed. Mr. R. W. Bingham, 

 rho specially investigated the Indian oil-yielding plants half a century ago, 

 lid that cotton-seed was more used as an artice of cattle food than as an oil- 

 Blueing seed, and that the seed was considered a better food for working bullocks 

 lan even grain. He then added that he did not think it would pay to export the 

 since owing to the fibre adhering to it, and perhaps other causes, it is very 

 ible to heat and deteriorate in bulk. The fact that there is to-day a large 

 id prosperous export trade in Indian cotton-seed shows the often unexpected 

 rn that discovery or necessity gives to the trade commodities of the world, 

 fact, in the Journal of the British Board of Agriculture, Voelcker shows that 

 ant results are distinctly in favour of Bombay undecorticated cotton cake, 

 compared with Egyptian, especially when its lower price is borne in mind. 

 Various machines and processes for removing the fuzz from cotton-seed have 

 en patented. Some burn off the velvet, others chemically destroy it, and 

 till others mechanically brush it off. It is no doubt much desired to obtain an 

 effectual and cheap removal of the fuzz, but meantime it is interesting to learu 

 that undecorticated seed-cake finds a market. The chapter on Feedinir Value of 

 Cotton-seed by W. Kilgore (inDabney. The Cotton Plant. 1896. 385-422) will be 

 found to give full particulars on this subject. Other publication* of interest are 

 the summary of Dr. T. Thorpe's views (given in Journ. Board Agri., 1898. 205-8). 



613 



Oil. 



Decorticated. 



''..- r i-'. 

 OUre Oil 



M rtftata 



Ohfe* 



Composition 

 of the Oil. 



Cake. 



Seed often 



Cattle Food. 



Undecortioated 

 Cotton Oake. 



