118 FIELD CROPS FOR THE COTTON-BELT 



liminary trials with some of these pickers have given 

 promising results. The chief difficulty is to perfect a 

 machine that will pick thoroughly and rapidly the seed 

 cotton without including trash and without injuring the 

 unopen bolls. Several machines invented within very 

 recent years have given considerable promise- of doing 

 this. It seems certain that in time a large percentage of 

 the cotton crop will be harvested by mechanical cotton- 

 pickers. 



"Some of these machines operate on the suction prin- 

 ciple: the open end of a hose pipe is directed by the human 

 hand close to each open boll, when the suction created 

 by a revolving fan on the machine draws the seed cotton 

 through a tube and into a hopper. 



"Other mechanical pickers entangle the seed cotton 

 by means of innumerable, sharp, tack-like points im- 

 bedded in narrow revolving belts, which are directed 

 by human hands into contact with the open boll; the 

 lint is instantly entangled' and borne along the re- 

 volving belt to the hopper, where it is removed by 

 brushes." ^ 



140. Ginning. — After the seed cotton is harvested 

 it is immediately hauled to the gin where the lint is re- 

 mpved from the seed. The ginning outfit includes an 

 elevator for sucking the cotton through a cleaner which 

 removes trash and dirt. Damp cotton should be al- 

 lowed to dry before being ginned; otherwise the gin 

 will break a large percentage of the fibers. Ginning 

 usually costs the grower a dollar to a dollar and a half 

 per bale. 



141. Types of cotton gins. — There are two principal 

 types of cotton gins, the saw gin and the roller gin. The 



1 Duggar, J. F., "Southern Field Crops," p. 365. 



