88 COTTON IN EGYPT AND THE SUDAN. 



a special industry established itself for the ginning, consequent upon 

 the enormous increase in the crop of 1862. 



In this way ginning factories were erected, which are situated in 

 proximity to the principal centres of cotton production. They are 

 owned by the large export houses, by the dealers from the provincial 

 towns, and by some limited companies, as, for instance, those of 

 ' The Associated Cotton Ginners of Egypt," which we have already 

 mentioned. In 1908 there were in Lower Egypt 102 ginning fac- 

 tories, working altogether 4,110 gins; in Upper Egypt 20 factories, 

 containing 944 gins, a single factory having from 15 to 160 gins. The 

 average work done per annum came up to 300,000 kantars perfactory. 

 The largest modern ginning factory is owned privately, and belongs 

 to the well-known and highly-respected German firm of R. & O. Linde- 

 mann, of Alexandria. It is situated at Kafr-el-Zayat, and has been 

 completely modernised three years ago. It contains 142 gins. 



At the end of 1912 the total number of gins in Egypt was esti- 

 mated to be 5,450. Of these 670 did not work, and of the remaining 

 4,780 gins, 3,746 were in Lower Egypt and 1,034 in Upper Egypt. 



The factories of the present day, where steam and electricity are 

 often combined, have two departments. In the one are situated the 

 boiler and engine-house, the gin, and presses, and in the other the 

 cotton stores. 



The seed cotton, which arrives in large sacks, is stored in exten- 

 sive yards, walled in, or in long shoonas or warehouses, which 

 frequently have a railway line connecting with the Government Rail- 

 way or the Light Railway. The cotton is there separated according 

 to kinds. The first, second, and third pickings are always kept 

 separately. In most cases the cotton is stored in the open, as the 

 slight rainfall cannot damage it, owing to the close packing of the 

 bales. 



In the factory proper, the boiler, steam engine, dynamo for elec- 

 trical lighting, repair shop, seed channels, and presses are usually in 

 the lower part. The gins are situated in a large hall over it. 



For the purpose of protecting the valuable fibre, the gins in 

 Egypt are not, as is the case in the U.S.A., saw gins, but exclusively 

 roller gins, as already described, of English manufacture, viz., Platt 

 Bros. & Co., Ltd., who have the patent rights. This firm supplies 

 the 40in. long single action self-feeding Macarthy roller cotton gin at 

 about ;21, including all expenses up to the ginning factory in Egypt. 

 The leather roller has approximately from 142 revs, to 158 revs, per 

 minute, and the knife moves about 850 to 950 times per 

 minute. The outturn per hour is lOOlbs. to 1201bs. lint, equal to 

 10 kantars per day of 10 hours. The knives of the gin are set by 

 experienced men, in accordance with the length and quality of the 

 cotton to be ginned. The leather covering of the roller must be 

 renewed every year, and the knives require to be repaired from time 

 to time. 



The Egyptian ginning factories, with their high, light, and airy 

 rooms, impress one usually more favourably than the American gin- 

 ning factories. In some respects, however, they are not quite so 

 practical as the latter. On account of the lower wages paid in 

 Egypt, the ginning factories are not compelled to fit up labour-saving 

 apparatus to the same extent as in America. Therefore, one does 



