188 COTTON IN THE MADRAS PRESIDENCY. [1849. 



CHAP. A fan of strong whalebone brushes was also attached, for 



L_ cleaning the staple as soon as it has passed through the 



rollers ; much in the same manner as the brush-wheel at- 

 tached to the American gin cleaned the staple after it was 

 separated from the seed by the circular saws. Opinions 

 Mr Fin- were expressed both by Dr. Wight and Mr. Finnie on the 

 3ort?M e "rch description of the machine which was forwarded to the 

 wight's *' Madras Government; and accordingly, it was requested 

 Apr"' 18*8. that two Mathers's improved Churkas might be sent 

 Montogo-^ to Dr. Wight's experimental Farm. No further report upon 

 ApVa i848 h ^ ne i r working capacity is to be found in the Madras records. 

 " (18*57) From the reports published in the Cotton Blue book for 

 P. 300,391. jj en g a ^ the improved Churka appears to have failed to meet 

 the expectations which had been formed of either its cheap- 

 ness or its efficiency; whilst its cost was sixty rupees, or 

 double the cost of the Cottage gin described in the next para. 



245 2nd, The Manchester Cottage saw Gin. The Cottage 

 gin was an attempt to simplify the American gin, and so far 

 to cheapen it, as to bring it within the means of the Indian 

 Byot. Its principle was the same as that of the American 

 gin, and an illustration is appended which will perhaps 

 prove sufficient to explain its working. Instead of sixty or 

 even twenty saw wheels, there are but four, and each saw 

 wheel is only ten inches in diameter. The length of the 

 Cottage saw gin is only two feet ; and its height is only 

 twenty inches at the hopper, and sixteen inches over the 

 couon s cui. brushes. The weight of the whole is only seventy five 

 mre, p.54o. p Oim( j s ^he saws and brushes are put in motion by wheels 

 and bands turned by two winches, one on each side, which 

 may be moved by two children. The working of the ma- 

 chine is the same in principle as that of the larger gins. 

 The seed Cotton is thrown into the hopper, and carried 

 away by the circular saws ; and as the seed is too large to 

 pass through the narrow grating, the staple alone is carried 



