MANUFACTURES. 599 



ginned and heaped in bulk. The seed are now kept in this manner by 

 ginners and cotton growers until the month of February, when they are 

 composted or drilled in the furrow for manure. A recent examination 

 in the month of January of a number of such heaps, aggregating thou- 

 sands of tons, revealed the fact that at least three-fourths of the seed, that 

 is, all but those on the top of the heaps, were heated until the kernels 

 were black, and they were entirely valueless for the manufacture of oil. 

 The seed so examined were under shelter, and had received far above av- 

 erage attention. Unfortunately, no chemical analysis has been made to 

 determine the exact deterioration as regards fertilizing constituents re- 

 sulting from this heating process. It has, however, long been known prac- 

 tically to farmers that fresh green seed were far more valuable for ferti- 

 lizing purposes than those which had been heated or fermented. Leav- 

 ing chemical considerations aside, the mere loss in weight by evaporation 

 is enormous, and it is probable that of the seed cleaned by the gins dur- 

 ing the fall months barely one-half to one-third in weight remains to be 

 hauled out into the fields the ensuing spring, so that it would be econo- 

 my for the ginner to turn his fresh seed over without delay to the oil 

 manufacturer, being sure to receive in return cotton seed meal, neaily 

 equal in weight to what his seed would be reduced to if he kept them 

 himself, while the former contains nearly three times the fertilizing con- 

 stituents of the latter. 



The true basis, however, for the development of this remunerative in- 

 dustry would seem to be the establishment of ginneries in connection 

 with oil mills. The following estimates of the cost of such a combined 

 establishment is taken from the statements of Richard Macdonald, of 

 Charleston, who has had thirty years' experience in England and Ameri- 

 ca in the manufacture of cotton seed oil. A mill to work fifteen tons a 

 day will cost as follows : 



Hydraulic press $ 4,900 



Hulling machine 900 



Pair of rollers 500 



Linter 650 



Engine and boiler complete , 3,000 



Cake mill, for grinding meal 240 



Horse hair mats 104 



Woolen cloth 100 



Screws, elevators, belting, shafts, pulleys, &c. . . . 1,500 



Oil tanks 250 



Cost of construction 1,000 



Land, buildings, freight, &c 5,000 



Total §18,144 



