The Old Antebellum Cotton Press
Additional Details:
Series 2370
Each plantation had its own gin and cotton press, operated by mule power. The Seed cotton was held in a box, inside of which was a grate of steel bars; between this were notched steel discs, which rotated rapidly and separated the fibre from the seeds; a cylinder covered with bristles revolved against the discs and took from them the lint. which was later pressed into bales. Now the work is done by compresses of 300 horse power capacity, costing from $40,000 to $60,000. |