how to clean cotton seeds

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Well, I finally came across a very few of those natural (colored) cotton seeds. I ordered a package of brown cotton and the seeds were shipped very clean...no cotton fiber still clinging to them. However, the green cotton seed came to me in the form of several cotton balls that needed to have the seeds removed. I have been plucking at those seeds relentlessly...and there is still fiber atatched to them. I have the same problem with some local white cotton seed that a friend at work brought to me from their farm. I have learned that a cotton gin is the machine used to spit out great clean seeds...however, I don't have one of those. I am sure that farmers had a system for cleaning those cotton seeds long before the cotton gin appeared. Any suggestions for doing this that would cut down on the time factor? Do those seeds have to be super clean. I would imagine that a lot of the fiber left on would cause the seeds to rot in the ground. One of the directions I read for planting said that the seeds might need "scarring"....exactly what is that? I am guessing that means a cut or scraping off of the seed. I don't have very many of the colored seeds and plan to plant them in separate locations in flower beds, pots. etc to keep them isolated from each other. I would like to increase my colored seeds by planting this way. The white ones will go way down in the garden on a back row. Any advise on this will be greatly appreciated. I am new to gardening of any kind and desperately want to learn this skill. So far, I am having a lot of fun with planting.

Ev

-- Evelyn Flesher (etflesher@netexas.net), May 02, 2002

Answers

use cotton combs. Look up Eli Whitney and his gin , there should be pictures of them.

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), May 02, 2002.

Where do you live? Cotton needs to grow where it is very hot. Also, if cotton dropped it's seed naturally and was allowed to grow, it wouldn't be cleaned. Probably don't need to clean it much.

-- lacyj (hillharmony@hotmail.com), May 04, 2002.

First they need to be fairly clean of lint. Second don't plant but one color unless you can have them about 1/4 mile apart the insects will cross pollinate and you will lose the color by getting it mixed with white. We have four cotton patches all located at least a quarter of a mile apart. Also no other cotton fields on the neighbors land to cross mix with. We grow green, beige and rust along with white. We are trying to increase the amount of seed and hoped to have extra this year but it will be next year before we have a surplus. I am in the process of building a small cotton gin and hope to have finished in the next week. And befor the invention of the cotton gin people had to hand pick the seed from the cotton and that is a real job. If we can help please email. Also you are required to report you are growing cotton and have to have it inspected by boll weevel inspectors for infestation. They have almost gotten rid of the cotton boll weevel and please help by reporting. If you don't and you raise a crop of weevels you will be in deep. The inspector that checks ours is a real nice guy and its no cost to you. David

-- David in North Al (bluewaterfarm@mindspring.com), May 05, 2002.

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