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COTTON. 



Cotton. This machine consists of a cylinder about the size of 

 ■"•""•/"■■- , a weaver's beam, having, at equal distances upon it, 

 wheels cut out like a saw. Hence the name of the ma- 

 chine. 



Instead of these saws, the machine originally had 

 .wires like card-teeth ; but these having been found to 

 make what is called white nap on the cotton, the saws 

 were substituted. These saws serve to pull the cotton 

 through a grating, which has its openings so narrow, 

 that the gins or seeds cannot get through them. 



The grating is inclined to the horizon. Cotton is 

 thrown upon it by the negro who attends the machine; 

 the teeth of the saws pull through the cotton, whilst 

 the gin rolls down the surface of the grating, and es- 

 capes by a spout in the side of the machine. Mean- 

 while, the cotton is thrown backwards by the centri- 

 fugal force of the motion of the cylinder, by another 

 cylinder covered with brushes, moving with great ve- 

 locity, and serving the double purpose of aiding the deli- 

 very of the cotton, and of cleaning the teeth. 



This machine, although very expeditious, and not 

 materially injurious to cotton of a short staple, is alto- 

 gether unfit for cleaning long cotton ; and is accord- 

 ingly not used, as I have already mentioned, for the 

 kind of Georgia cotton, known by the name of Sea 

 Island. 



One of these saw gins will Clean about 3 cwt. per 

 day. 



It is worthy of remark, that when the Upland Georgia 

 cotton was first brought to this market, it yielded a 

 higher price by about 2d. per lb. when it was cleaned 

 by the roller-gin ; but, contrary to all expectation, it 

 has been found, that for cleaning this species of cotton, 

 the saw-gin is much better adapted ; and the cotton 

 done in this last way is now much preferred by those 

 who understand the nature of spinning it. The saws 

 separate the gin much more effectually than the rollers, 

 and at the same time give it a kind of teasing, which 

 is found highly beneficial. This fact is well worthy 

 the attention of importers of Surat cotton, for to it the 

 machine seems equally applicable. 



Modes of Picking Cotton in Great Britain. 



Modes of Machinery has been applied in Britain in the cotton 



picking cot- manufacture to a great extent, and has arrived at a degree 

 tion in Bri- f p er f ec tion almost incredible. Yet the simple pro- 

 tsm " cess of picking has hitherto, in a great measure, defied 



every attempt to produce an effect equal to what. is 

 done by hand. 



The method of picking by hand in this country, is 

 to spread the cotton on a table, the upper part of which 

 is formed of cords, and quite elastic. There it is beaten 

 by slender rods. The effect of this process is some- 

 what similar to the bow-string, and most of the seeds 

 fall through between the cords ; those which may re- 

 main are afterwards taken out by the fingers. 



This mode of cleaning cotton renders it fit for the 

 finest purposes ; for while it opens it thoroughly, and 

 makes it perfectly clean, it does not break the staple. 

 Machinery of various kinds, however, has been tried, 

 in order, if possible, to lessen the expence of this pro- 

 cess, some of which I shall now describe. 



1st Machine. The cotton is laid on a cloth, which 

 passes over two rollers; and these having a motion com- 

 municated to them, feed forward the cotton. This 

 contrivance is called a feeding-cloth. 



From the. feeding-cloth the cotton is taken by a pair 

 ef rollers, toothed like a coarse rasp ; these having a 

 slow motion, and pressing the cotton between them, 

 1 



feed it forward to what was called the comb, consist- Cotton, 

 ing of a number of pikes or teeth, and, having a reci- "«— y*""" 

 procating motion, tears the cotton from the rollers. 

 This part of the machine is now called the Devil. 



This machine, however, tore the cotton in pieces, 

 and was but little used, except in the spinning of coarse 

 weft upon common jennies. 



2d Machine. A feeding-cloth similar to that just 

 described, and a pair of toothed, or sometimes fluted 

 rollers, fed the cotton forward to a cylinder, covered 

 all over with pikes or teeth, which produced an effect 

 nearly similar to the comb ; but the motion being cir- 

 cular, the machine, of course, was more simple and 

 durable, and also, by its centrifugal force, served bet- 

 ter to open the cotton. A grating helped to separate 

 the motes. "This machine was also sometimes called a 

 devil, sometimes a picker. 



It also, however, was evidently very imperfect, for 

 which reason we think it unnecessary to describe it 

 further. 



3d Machine. In the " Repertory of Arts" may be 

 seen a description of what is called a batting machine, 

 which imitates remarkably well the motion of the rods 

 used in batting by hand ; but most of the motions of 

 this machine being violent and suddenly reciprocating, 

 it has a constant and rapid tendency to produce its own 

 destruction. And however well it might answer in a 

 cotton mill, where skilful mechanics are always at hand, 

 it would soon become useless in the hands of common 

 field labourers. 



4>ih Machine. Another mode of cleaning cotton by 

 machinery has been attended with a very considerable 

 degree of success. 



In appearance it somewhat resembles the second ma- 

 chine, having cylinders with teeth ; but, in reality, it 

 acts on quite different principles. The second machine 

 operates principally by tearing the cotton from the feed- 

 ing rollers ; this by having it laid on the cylinders ; 

 and it produces its effects by the centrifugal force. 



It was at Manchester, in the year 1 797> that the then 

 managing partner of the Rothsay Spinning Company 

 saw a machine somewhat upon the construction above 

 alluded to. It put on so fair an appearance, that he 

 was induced to order one of them. The late Mr John 

 Barton of Shudehill, Manchester, perhaps the most ex- 

 perienced cotton spinner at that time in England, was 

 so obliging as to take charge of the making of it, and 

 to try it in his mill previously to sending it off for Scot- 

 land. About the same time, he also ordered one of 

 these machines for Mr White of the Culcreuch cotton 

 works. 



After getting the machines, Mr White, as well as the 

 manager of the Rothsay works, was greatly disappoint- 

 ed ; the grating was then made of wire, and they found 

 it impossible to keep it from choking. Another evil 

 was also, that the one cylinder tore the cotton from the 

 other. It was rendered ropy, and was very much injured. 

 These unpleasant circumstances gave them much unea- 

 siness ; but they persevered in their trials, and kept up 

 a constant correspondence as to the results. 



They found that a great improvement was made by 

 raising the tops between the cylinders nearly to a 

 straight line, and depressing the grating immediately 

 below that part of the tops ; and by allowing the front 

 cylinder to throw the cotton on the back cylinder, in- 

 stead of the back cylinder tearing it, by the back cy- 

 linder pulling it from the front cylinder. 



About the same time, Mr White was so fortunate as 

 to invent a new kind of grating of tin-plate, which. 



