12 BULLETIN 1056, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
of seed when delinted would weigh about 27} poci^as and measure 
only approximately four-fifths of a bushel. However, it would still 
contain the same number of seeds (l r ,u00) and have the same or a 
greater planting capacity. ^Jso it should be remembered that if 30 
pounds (a bushel measure) of gin-run seed contain 120,000 seeds, 
30 pounds of delinted seed contain approximately 130,000 seeds and 
have a proportionately greater planting capacity, although they may 
not fill a bushel measure. The number of seeds per pound or per 
bushel varies with the different varieties of cotton, some of which 
have much larger seeds than others, but a given number of delinted 
seeds, regardless of variety, weigh from 5 
to 10 per cent less and are from 10 to 20 
per cent less bulky than an equal number 
of gin-run seeds of the same variety. 
APPEARANCE OF DELINTED SEED. 
The delinted seeds have a more brown- 
ish appearance than gin-run seeds and 
fig. 5.— cotton seed cut or some ma y De s0 closely delinted that the 
broken by saws in delint- . , , , ,, , . . ,, .,, . , 
ing. Natural size. black hull shows partially as illustrated 
figure 6. Rarely, however, do they have 
the appearance of " slick seed " and there is no basis for the conten- 
tion that the slick appearance of the seeds would cause farmers to be 
skeptical regarding the purity as to variety. Neither can delinting 
be construed as a cloak which might be used by unscrupulous dealers 
to hide inferior qualities. On the other hand, it should help indirectly 
to minimize the number of dealers in this class or reduce greatly the 
comparative volume of their business. The poorest quality of gin-run 
cotton seed sold for planting purposes would be improved by delint- 
ing and subsequent recleaning and grading. It is not intended that 
delinting should take the place of breeding, selecting, or any other 
phase of improving the value or productiveness of cotton seed, but 
that it should supplement these methods and make the most care- 
fully bred or selected cotton seed of still greater value for planting 
purposes. 
RECLEANING AND GRADING. 
Modern and specially designed machinery is provided by all pro- 
gressive dealers for recleaning and grading seeds of grains, clovers, 
grasses, and other field and forage crops, but seed of cotton, the all- 
important money crop of the South, has not received in this respect 
the attention by commercial agencies that it deserves. This indiffer- 
ence may be partly because of the fact that the necessity for and 
value of recleaning and grading cotton seed have not been realized 
