CHAP. I.] GENERAL VIEW. CULT0RE AND CLEANING. 17 



only implement is an iron roller, but 4th Decem- 

 wooden soles are fastened to each of her cSton^Ke- 

 feet. This iron roller she places on the ports (1836), 

 Cotton, and then rolls it backwards and ^'^^' 

 forwards with her feet, until the wool is fairly separ- 

 ated from the seed, and the seed is rolled out in front, 

 whilst the Cotton wool comes out under the stool be- 

 hind in a continuous web. If the woman cleans this 

 wool with her hands — ^picking away all the dirt, pieces 

 of leaf, stray seeds, smashed seeds, and other ob- 

 jectionable trash, — she produces, after a great expense 

 of time and labour, a wool which is easily spun into 

 clothing for the family, whilst the seed is used as food 

 for the cattle. 



The Native Churka. — The foot roller however has 25 

 almost vanished from the Madras Presidency, and the 

 machine now in general use is the Churka. This 

 simple implement is only one step in advance of the 

 foot roller. It consists of two rollers set in a wooden 

 frame, with a small interval between them. These are 

 turned with an ordinary handle, the motion of one 

 being communicated' to the other by a sort of endless 

 screw. The Cotton is passed between these rollers, 

 and the staple is thus separated from the seed ; but 

 the wool is turned out in a matted state, with the 

 fibres all lying confused in diiferent directions, so as 

 to give a great deal of trouble to English 

 carders. Moreover the wool is mixed up Messrs." 

 with aU the dirty bits of leaf and seed ^™r°g^„"'' 

 already indicated. The Natives, however, Cardi''K and 

 can completely clean it by the laborious |i^t"'"fgtii 

 process of hard picking, and they appear Fi-bruarV, 

 to resort to this process for home con- E^i^"'' 

 sumption ; but for exportation, they seem {^g'7',''"'''359 

 to content themselves with beating it with '' 



sticks on rattan frames, of which an amusing account 

 will be found in para. 177. 



The American Saw Gin. — The American Saw Gin 26 

 is a totally different machine, and is the result of 

 capital, ingenuity, and enterprise. It both separates 

 the Cotton from the seed, and cleans the staple. It 



