16 BULLETIN 1056, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
should be a strong incentive for dealers to reclean and grade all 
planting cotton seed sold by them. The results of the operation 
should be seeds that are perfectly clean, more uniform in weight, and 
higher in germination, and 'that contain a relatively larger quantity 
of the stored nutriment necessary for the development of vigorous, 
rapid-growing, disease-resisting, and high-producing plants. Dirty, 
trashy, immature, or otherwise inferior seed have no place in the 
economical production of cotton, and the dealer will not offer for 
sale and the farmer will not buy such seed if they have the best 
interests of the cotton growing industry at heart. Figure 7 contrasts 
the appearance of gin-run, delinted, and recleaned and graded cotton 
seed and shows the classes of dockage removed by recleaning. 
SACKING. 
It is economy to sack cotton seed as it comes from the recleaning 
and grading machine. Storing it in bulk and sacking later necessi- 
tates rehandling, and two men will be required to do the work, 
whereas, if the recleaner and grader is equipped with a simple 
elevator and bagging attachment, one man can sack the seed as fast 
as it comes from the machine. An automatic weigher and bagger 
may be used profitably where large quantities of cotton seed, either 
alone or in connection with otherTdnds of seed, are handled. 
New bags, either cotton or burlap, should be used. If cotton bags 
are preferred, it is not necessary that they be of the heavy grade 
used for grass, clover, and other small seeds. However, they should 
be strong enough to withstand rough handling in shipment. Bags 
of 8-ounce burlap are satisfactory and are much used, although some- 
times bags of 10-ounce burlap or heavier are preferred. The bags 
should have a capacity of 100 pounds, net, when sewed or tied, and 
be filled to even weight. The strong point in favor of a bag of this 
size is that cotton seed always should be sold by the 100 pounds in- 
stead of by the bushel. This point is discussed more fully on page 
22. In closing the bags, sewing either by hand or machine is prefer- 
able to tying. 
STORAGE. 
Cotton seed may be stored either in bulk or in sacks. In either 
case the main precaution is to prevent the seed from heating. In- 
vestigations show that the germination of cotton seed is injured 
oftener by heating in storage than is generally believed. The direct 
cause of such heating is excessive moisture. The extent of the dam- 
age from heating is directly in proportion to the percentage of 
moisture contained and indirectly to the rapidity of drying. Seed 
cotton picked early in the season while " green " or at any time when 
moist and stored in a close bin or building is subject to heating. If 
cotton is ginned while " green " and the seed stored in large piles 
such seed becomes heated quickly, and constant stirring or aerating 
is necessary if it is to be preserved for planting. 
