344 FIELD CROP PRODUCTION 



a process which removes from it the fine fuzz or linter, 

 which is used in the making of cotton batting, carpets, rope, 

 or twine. About 35 or 40 pounds of hnter is removed from 

 a ton of seed. The hull is then removed from the seed and 

 the inside, or " meat," is heated to a high temperature for 

 a short time to melt the oil, and it is then subjected to 

 powerful hydraulic or steam pressure which forces out 

 the oil and compresses the meat into a firm cake. About 

 40 gallons of crude oil may be removed from a ton of seed. 

 The oil is refined into various grades and placed directly 

 upon the market or sold to manufacturers. The best 

 grades of oil are used as a substitute or adulterant for 

 olive oil or salad oil for culinary purposes. It is also 

 used in the making of cottolene, a substitute for lard, 

 and butterine, a substitute for butter. Cotton oil prod- 

 ucts are wholesome and valuable for culinary purposes, 

 although there now exists some prejudice against their 

 use. The lower grades of cottonseed oil are used in the 

 making of soap. 



362. The oil cake, which remains after the extraction 

 of the oil, is highly prized as a feed for cattle and sheep. 

 It contains about 35 per cent of protein and is useful to 

 supply this principle in the making up of rations for live 

 stock. Sometimes the seed hulls, which were removed 

 before the oil is extracted, are ground up with the meal 

 cake and together they are placed on the market as feeding 

 stuff. The hulls are also used alone as feed or fertilizer, 

 for which purposes they are not very valuable, and also in 

 the making of paper. The oil is the principal and most 

 valuable product of the seed. The hull, linter, and meal 

 are by-products derived from the seed in the extraction 

 of the oil, but are of considerable value and add greatly 

 to the net profit derived from the crop. 



