COTTON IN EGYPT AND THE SUDAN. 89 



not see suction apparatus, to carry the seed cotton from the yard into 

 the ginning room ; instead it is laboriously carried in sacks on the 

 backs of men into the ginning room. Automatic mechanical feeders 

 for each gin are not in use, and consequently it is necessary that each 

 gin has to be fed with the seed cotton by special workmen. 



I have not seen any machine guards for the protection of the 

 workpeople. 



The seed which falls off in the ginning process is taken from each 

 individual gin through wooden channels and falls direct into the cellar, 

 or, where there are no cellars, it is carried by special workpeople to 

 the room, where, by means of sieves, the smaller and damaged kernels 

 are separated, and the normal smooth seed is allowed to pass, is then 

 collected and put direct into sacks of 1 Ardeb 120 kgs. The seed 

 to which fibre still attaches is, however, ginned a second time, this 

 time chiefly with saw gins, and the wasty, short-stapled product of 

 this second ginning is separately sold as " Afritti. " For every 100 

 roller gins there are usually two to four saw gins. If time permits, 

 it is preferable to pass the seed also for the second time through the 

 slower roller gins, and the product thus obtained is sold as " Scarto. " 

 However, as the saw gins run considerably quicker, these are to-day 

 much more preferred to linter, and " Scarto " has correspondingly 

 become less in quantity. 



The seed destined for sowing, that is, " Takkawi," is taken from 

 selected fine lots, which are ginned separately. This seed is passed 

 through sieves and ventilated, which is not done with the ordinary 

 seed. 



On the average a large kantar of 315 rottl seed cotton gives : 

 105 rottles Lint. 



2 ,, Scarto or Afritti. 

 198 ,, sieved seed. 

 10 waste and dust. 



315 rottles. 



Between the gins, which are placed in rows, wagons run on rails, 

 and bring the ginned cotton from the ginning room to the adjoining 

 pressing room. The cotton, which becomes heated during the gin- 

 ning process, is then slightly damped with water by means of a fine 

 hand syringe. 



This watering (before pressing), which is at times repeated, is 

 undertaken in all the ginning factories, with the exception 

 of those belonging to the State Domains, and is effected 

 to maintain the quality of the cotton and to obtain greater 

 density of pressing ; reasons which are open to dispute. Moreover, 

 the cotton is also at times already artificially watered by the fellah 

 with the intention of cheating in order to increase the weight, and 

 it must, when this is detected, be stored for a few days before it can 

 be ginned. The ginning factory deducts, of course, for such prac- 

 tices a corresponding amount. It is general use for the buyer to 

 deduct 1 per cent, from the weight for damp and sample, but the 

 State Domains do not allow this deduction. 



Presses. As far back as in 1822, primitive cotton presses 

 were introduced into the villages; up to that time the cotton 



