90 COTTON IN EGYPT AND THE SUDAN. 



was only firmly trodden into a bale of about 1 by 1^ metres in circum- 

 ference. The Alexandrian exporters soon afterwards introduced 

 hydraulic presses, which pressed the bales together even on board 

 the ship ; later on Mehemet Ali had a press sent from England, similar 

 to those used in America, and he had similar ones constructed in 

 Egypt, and prescribed their use in all provinces. In the fifties and 

 sixties, before the use of steam-presses commenced, the Alexandrian 

 exporter, Ludwig Miiller, a native of Augsburg, was one of the 

 pioneers of the rapidly progressing Egyptian cotton pressing 

 industry. 



Nowadays, in all ginning factories presses are to be met with, 

 the majority of which are hydraulically-driven, and press the cotton, 

 if intended for sale on the Alexandria Market, into the more 

 voluminous, but less dense bales, known as '* Alexandrian Bales," 

 which weigh from 8 to 12 kantars, and are bound together with 

 three to seven iron hoops. These bales are opened again in Alexan- 

 dria and re-packed, or, at least, pressed again in that town. 



To a smaller extent the ginning factories send out denser bales 

 ready for export, which are steam-pressed, and weigh about 7501bs. 

 to 7601bs. gross. Strange to say these " steam bales " are also 

 previously pressed hydraulically, ready packed in bagging, and 

 bound with iron hoops, and these complete bales are, 12 hours later, 

 re-opened, in order to be finally pressed by steam and to be bound 

 with 11 iron hoops. Perhaps it is intended that by this method a more 

 equal distribution of the moisture inside the bales be obtained. Only 

 the first and second pickings are pressed by steam in the provinces, 

 whilst the third picking is usually only hydraulically pressed and 

 sent to Alexandria in this condition. 



The presses are made by Messrs. Nasmyth, Wilson, & Co., 

 Manchester, and one hydraulic press with a pressure of one ton per 

 square inch costs about ^"1,000, delivered free to destination, and 

 including erection. 



One hydraulic press presses 5 to 16 bales per hour, the steam- 

 presses of the ginning factories of the interior press 20 bales per 

 hour, and both are provided with revolving double boxes, one of 

 which is filled whilst the cotton in the other is being pressed ; some- 

 times presses have three boxes. The maximum pressure which can 

 be utilised by the steam-presses is two tons per square inch, but 

 usually the pressure does not exceed more than If tons per square 

 inch. 



The prime cost of ginning and hydraulic pressing amounts to 

 about 5 to 7 P.T. per kantar of lint, but less than 7 to 8 P.T. 'is 

 seldom charged. Factories with old worn-out machinery, and with- 

 out supervision by Europeans, which are obliged to attract custom 

 by low prices, are satisfied with 6 P.T. , but they make up for any 

 loss through stealing. On the other hand, factories situated in out- 

 of-the-way places are able to charge as much as 10 P.T. per kantar, 

 as they have no competition to face and are protected by the high 

 costs of transport to the distant establishments. With the normal 

 rate of 7 P.T. a bale of 1\ kantars the ginning charges per bale are 

 52 P.T., plus 32 P.T. for steam pressing, so that the total cost for 

 the preparation of the seed cotton into a form ready for transport 

 to the spinner is about 85 P.T. per bale. The iron hoops are 



