The below is a narrative of the "technical" part of the ginning process.

Cotton Gins are a critical part of the process of getting a field grown crop into the marketplace.

Seed cotton is turned into two major by-products and two minor by-products when processed by the cotton gin.

Delivered to the gin in either trailers or in large bales known as modules, the seed cotton is fed into the gin plant by suction and then metered out at a rate suitable to the gin's capacity and the condition of the seed cotton (trashy, clean, wet, or dry).

Clean, dry seed cotton can be processed at the highest capacities, thus lessening overstocked conditions in the waiting-to-be-ginned line.

Almost all gins use gas fired dryers to dry seed cotton to around 7% moisture. This is optimum for most ginning systems. After drying and some threshing type processing to remove larger trash, seed cotton is fed into the "gin stand" where "cotton seed" is removed from the lint.

There are two major products derived from the seed cotton.

The seed is blown into bins where it is held for shipment to cottonseed buyers.

The lint, which has been removed from the seed by means of flat circular saw blades, is fed into cleaning machines which remove "motes".

Motes are sold as low -grade cotton fiber mainly because of their short fibers and off-color appearance.

The cleaned lint is then fed into the baling press where approximately 500 pound cotton bales are formed for shipment to clothing mills (textile mills).



The final product of ginned seed cotton is gin trash.

It consist mainly of cotton plant parts which have been removed in the cleaning machinery.

Cotton gin trash is usually piled on the gin property where it is allowed to compost.

It makes a great mulch for landscaping and garden use.