The seed of the cotton plant as it comes from the gin where the 

 cotton fiber has been removed, is still covered with a coat of white 

 down technically known as ''• lintei's." This being removed, the seed 

 itself appears as black in color, and irregular egg-shaped in form. 

 The thick, hard, black seed coat or hull, is filled with the coiled 

 embryo, (meat) which in turn contains a large numberof oil contain- 

 ing cells. Machines have been invented to remove the hull. The 

 meat is then cooked in large iron kettles, and while still hot is wrapped 

 in hair cloth, and subjected to a pressure of 3000 to 400U pounds per 

 square inch, to remove as much of the oil as possible. The pressed 

 cottonseed cake is cracked, ground, and results in the decorticated 

 bright yellow cottonseed meal of commerce. A ton of seed fur- 

 nishes about 800 poundsof meal. Sometimes a considerable amount 

 of hull is ground fine and mixed with the meal, producing a dark 

 colored article, having not much over one-half the feeding value of 

 the prime material. 



LINSEED MEALS. 



a 



Figure II. Common flax (Linum usitatissinium). a. Seed luagnifled six times. 

 b. Longitudinal section, showing embrj'o embedded iu the endosperm. 



The drawings for Figs. I. and II. from Hicks, in Year Book 1S9.5, Department of 

 Agriculture. 



Linseed meal is the ground residue remaining from the flaxseed, 

 after the oil has been removed. The larger part of the flaxseed 

 used in this country is grown in North and .South Dakota and in 

 Minnesota. The seeds of the flax plant are flattened, elliptical oval, 

 pointed at the lower end, and of a brown color. They contain in 

 their natural state from 30 to 35 per cent of oil. Twenty to 28 per 

 cent of the oil of the seed is removed by warm pressure. This oil 

 is known as linseed oil, and after being refined is used in the prepa- 

 ration of paints, varnishes printer's ink, or in the manufacture of 



