DELIXTIXG AND RECLEAXIXO COTTONSEED FOR PLANTING. 7 
WEIGHT PER BUSHEL OF DELLNTED SEED. 
Removal of the linters from ginned cottonseed reduces the volume 
per unit of weight and increases the weight per measured bushel. 
This has resulted in some confusion to those accustomed to thinking 
of cottonseed in terms of bushels or the commonly accepted weight 
{>er bushel of ginned seed. The legal weight per bushel of ginned up- 
and cottonseed varies from 28 pounds to 33j pounds in the cotton- 
producing States. In most States, however, the legal weight is 30 
or 32 pounds and a large percentage of the dealers who quote prices 
per bushel specify only 30 pounds. For this reason a weight of 30 
pounds per bushel for ginned seed was chosen as a basis for com- 
paring the weight per bushel of delinted seed. 
The grain weight-per-bushel tester, described in United States 
Department of Agriculture Bulletin 472. was tried out for determin- 
ing the weight per bushel of cottonseed but without satisfactory 
results. Ginned cottonseed will not flow through the funnel-shaped 
hopper used on the grain tester. The linters on the seeds also pre- 
vent them from settling in the quart kettle used so that they will 
test 30 pounds per bushel and interfere with stroking the excessive 
seeds from the kettle. Therefore a special device was constructed 
which would overcome these objections. (See fig. 4.) Tins device 
is a modification of the grain weight-per-bushel tester. The funnel- 
shaped hopper was replaced by a cylinder or tube the same diameter 
as the quart test kettle — 4-%- inches. It was 7^ inches high, with an 
opening 7 inches in diameter tapering to the size of the tube, being 
10 inches high over all. When this tube is placed directly over the 
test kettle and the tube and kettle filled with seeds to the desired 
height, pressure mav be applied so as to force more seeds into the 
kettle. 
The tube is fixed in a frame pivoted on a vertical steel post and 
may be adjusted to any desired height above the kettle. A space 
of one-fourth inch between the kettle and tube was found to be most 
desirable. By means of a specially designed cut-off, consisting of a 
set of square steel fingers, sharpened to a fine point, curved slightly 
and set one-sixteenth inch apart in a semicircular frame with a 
radius of 2^- inches pivoted on the vertical steel post, which is drawn 
through the seeds between the kettle and the tube, the seeds in the 
kettle are more accurately separated from those in the tube. The 
cut-off also serves as a bottom for the tube and when in this position 
the tube and itr> contents may be swung to one side giving free access 
to the seeds in the kettle which are weighed to ascertain the weight 
per bushel. 
In making the test weights, ginned cottonseeds were poured into 
the kettle from a dockage pan, one edge of which rested on the tube, 
until the kettle and tube were filled to a point 2\ inches from the top 
of the tube. Pressure was then applied to the seeds by placing lead 
weights in the tube. By means of the cut-off. the seeds in the tube 
were separated from those in the kettle. The contents of the kettle 
were then weighed t<> ascertain the weight per bushel. After repeat- 
ing this experiment several times it was found that a pressure oi 13^ 
