Am.  Jour.  Phibm.  / 
April  1, 1872.  / 
On  Cotton  Seeds. 
155 
ON  COTTON  SEEDS. 
By  Horatio  N.  Fraser. 
From  the  Author's  Inaugural  Essay. 
From  the  time  when  cotton  was  first  cultivated  in  this  country  until 
within  a  few  years,  the  lint  or  fibre  was  the  only  part  used  either  in 
medicine  or  the  arts  ;  the  seed,  or  all  that  part  not  used  for  re-plant- 
ing, was  considered  as  having  no  value,  and  was  looked  on  only  as  an 
incumbrance.  Since  these  seeds  weighed  nearly  twice  as  much  as  the 
part  formerly  used,  it  became  the  subject  of  thinking  men's  experi- 
ments— how  they  could  be  turned  to  some  use;  and  the  results  of 
these  experiments  have  lead  to  the  discovery  and  subsequent  usage  of 
the  various  products  obtained  therefrom. 
A  chemical  analysis  of  the  seeds  demonstrated  that  a  large  per 
centage  of  a  fixed  oil  could  be  produced  from  them,  and  not  only  that, 
but  that  the  kernel  might  be  advantageously  used  for  food  for  animals. 
This  latter  was  tried  some  years  ago,  but  led  to  bad  results  ;  for  even 
the  best  gins  which  were  invented  could  not  separate  the  lint  entirely 
from  the  seeds  to  which  it  adhered,  consequently  this  insoluble  mat- 
ter, with  the  hulls,  formed  hard  masses  in  the  stomach,  and  produced 
even  fatal  effects  from  the  irritation  of  the  membranes  of  the  intes- 
tines. But,  to  obviate  this,  hullers  have  been  made  which  decorticate, 
or  remove  the  hull,  with  the  adhering  lint,  entirely  from  the  kernel. 
This  is  almost  an  invaluable  invention  for  the  planter ;  for,  when  we 
consider  the  millions  of  pounds  of  cotton  which  are  annually  produced 
in  the  Southern  States,  and  also  that  the  weight  of  seed  is  double  the 
weight  of  the  other  portion,  then  we  may  be  able  to  estimate  the  value 
of  these  seeds,  turned  into  nutritious  food  for  stock,  to  those  who 
formerly  wasted  them,  and  were  forced  to  buy  what  these  now  furnish. 
Since  small  hullers  have  been  introduced  on  many  of  the  planta- 
tions, the  planters  are  enabled  to  hull  their  own  seeds.  These  are 
thrown  into  the  top  of  the  hullers,  and  first  come  in  contact  with 
knives,  which  cut  the  hull ;  then  they  are  passed  through  sieves,  by 
which  process  the  kernel  and  hulls  are  separated.  The  kernel  is  divided 
into  two  portions  ;  the  first  is  that  part  which  has  been  broken  or  cut 
by  the  knives ;  this  is  ground  to  make  the  meal  used  for  feeding,  and 
constitutes  one  third  of  the  whole  weight  of  kernel.  The  remaining 
two-thirds  come  out  whole,  and  are  sold  for  other  purposes.  This 
meal  has  been  found  to  be  as  rich  in  flesh  and  fat  producers  as  linseed 
