photographybyjw

Cotton Ginning

A cotton gin short for cotton engine is a machine that quickly and easily separates cotton fibers from their seeds, a job formerly performed by hand. The fibers are processed into cotton goods, and the seeds may be used to grow more cotton or to produce cottonseed oil; if they are badly damaged, they are disposed of. The first modern industrial gin, invented by Eli Whitney in 1793, used a combination of a wire screen and small wire hooks to pull the cotton through, while brushes continuously removed the loose cotton lint to prevent jams. Larger, more complex automated versions of the cotton gin remain a crucial part of the cotton industry today.

So there you have it. A big fuss in the South since we still grow a lot of cotton. So big infact that once a year we have the annual "Cotton Ginning Days" and thousands of folks show up to look at cotton and of course tractors, lots of tractors.

This is a shot of a "Cotton Gin" Fairbanks Morse engine from early 1900s, still working today.

We take cotton for granted but cleaning and combing it is still labor intensive, especially the old way. Here is a shot of uncleaned cotton in a basket getting ready to load.

If your in North Carolina next Fall plan a visit to the event. See you next week. I hope to have a few good shots of the North Carolina coast.