pneumatic action; it then passes between (I) and (J) out of the
machine. The Macarthy gin is the only other type in extensive use; it
is employed to clean both long and short stapled cottons. In this gin
the fibres are drawn by a leather-covered roller (A, fig. 2) over the
edge of a stationary blade (B) called a doctor, which is fixed
tangential to the roller. Two cranks (E) move two other blades (C, D)
up and down immediately behind, and parallel to, the fixed blade (B).
The cotton is thrown into the hopper (F) and the fibres are drawn by
the roller (A) until the seeds are against the edge of the doctor (B),
when the beaters (C, D) strike them off, but permit the fibres to go
forward with the roller. Attempts continue to be made so to improve
both machines, that production may be increased, and labour charges,
and the risks of injuring the fibres, reduced.

[Illustration: FIG. 3.]

_Baling._--As cotton leaves the gin, it is in some cases rolled, under
compression, into cylindrical bales; but it is usually packed into
rectangular bales, that vary in weight from 160 lb. to 750 lb., by
steam or hydraulic presses. After pressing, the cotton is covered with
coarse jute bagging, and the whole secured by iron bands. In this form
it arrives at the spinning mills.

In the mill treatment of cotton it soon became an established practice
to divide the work into the following operations, namely (1) Mixing
the fibres into a homogeneous mass; (2) removing impurities; (3)
combing out entanglements in, and ranging the fibres in parallel
lines; (4) simultaneous combination and attenuation of groups of
parallel fibres; (5) completing the combination and attenuation, and
twisting the fibres into a thread; (6) compounding, finishing and
making-up of threads. These remain the essential conditions of
cotton-spinning. The principal machines used to carry out the
foregoing stages are: The bale breaker, opener and scutcher; the card
and comber; the drawing, slubbing, intermediate and roving frames;
ring and mule spinning; winding, doubling; clearing and gassing the
reel, and bundling press, together with several auxiliary machines.
All the operations included in this list are not necessarily employed
in the production of all kinds of yarn; low counts require fewer, and
high counts more processes.

[Illustration: FIG. 4.]

A _bale breaker_ is used to disentangle fib