PLATE I.

Cotton is a soft downy substance, which is found growing upon trees and plants, that differ from each other in size, as much as the apple-tree differs from the currant-bush; and the pods are closely filled with this soft substance, which surrounds the seeds or pippins, from which other cotton-plants are raised. The stormy winds may carry them to a distance, or they may fall at the foot of the tree, on which they grew, and become new plants of the same kind. The Cotton, which is part of the fruit of the tree, consisting of fibres like fine hairs, is nearly white, and looks very beautiful. The frontispiece represents a cotton-field, where the seeds have been sown: the plants have grown up, and borne their blossoms, and much of the bloom has turned into fruit, ready to be gathered. The negroes are busy picking the Cotton from the open pods, and placing it in their bags and baskets; and the master is watching and giving them directions. Men soon found out that Cotton was very useful for clothing, and that some kinds were of more value than others, because the fibres are longer, or finer, and easier to work; and they take care to cultivate these sorts in countries where they will grow, such as India, Africa, and the warm parts of America. It is always gathered when the weather is dry and fine, and great care is taken to prevent its being spoiled by the sun or rain.

When the Cotton is gathered, it generally happens that the seeds, and parts of the husk, cling very fast to the fine fibres. It would take a very long time, and be very tedious, to pick it by the hand. Machines have, therefore, been made, which do this work very quickly. The Machine used for this purpose is called a Gin, and the operation is called Ginning the Cotton. After this, it is packed closely in bags; and presses are used to reduce it to as small a compass as possible, that it may be removed with less trouble and expense. It is sometimes conveyed thousands of miles from the place where it grew; and, after being made into cloth, it is taken back, and worn in the same land that produced it. The Cotton-Mill or Factory is a very large, well-lighted building, with a great quantity of Machinery in it, which is very clean, and kept in motion by a powerful Steam Engine. The first thing done to the Cotton, when taken out of the bags, is to put it into the Willowing-Frame or Blowing-Machine, the outside of which is seen in this picture. The man on the right, first puts the Cotton on what is called the Feeder, which turns it inside the Machine, where there is a large Drum, or Cylinder, full of spikes or iron teeth, to tear and loosen the Cotton, and to cleanse it from dust and motes. The dust ascends through a large pipe, as seen in the drawing, and the motes fall through below. The clean Cotton is turned out at the other end of the frame by the Discharger, which is kept in slow motion for that purpose; but the motion of the Cylinder is very rapid indeed. Some of these Cylinders turn round two hundred *imes in a minute.

PLATE III.

After the Cotton has been opened out, and partly cleaned by the rough process of Willowing, it is brought to the Lap Frame, a large Machine, the front of which is seen in this picture. The Cotton is put in at the back, by a man whose duty it is to supply it with the proper quantity, spread out as neatly and as level as possible. The inside works are so contrived as to purify the Cotton still further; and any sand or heavy dirt falls below, whilst the light dust, and short loose particles of Cotton, called Flyings, are carried along the pipe to the outside of the building: this is done by a fan, which works in a box below the upper wheel. It is then passed between two iron rollers, which press it into a soft sheet of wadding. This wadding is conducted to the tin roller at the front, and fold after fold is added until the roller is full, when it is taken out, and an empty one put in its place. A solid roller below sustains the pressure of the receiving roller, which is made greater, when needful, by adding weights such as are seen hanging on the bar at the bottom. The handle at the corner of the Frame, near the weights, is intended to take off the pressure, when the rollers are changed. One man is watching the roller filling with Cotton, the other is carrying away the full ones to the carding frames.

PLATE IV.

In this Picture we have a view of the outside of a set of double Carding-Engines. A Roller, covered with the matted Cotton by the Lap-Frame, is placed at the back, on the left, and the end of the sheet of cotton is taken by the FeedingRollers to the inside of the Machine. The Cotton then runs through Rollers and Clearers to the cylinders, which are

in the form of large Drums, covered with leather, thickly studded with fine pointed wires.

it

On the outside are several

small toothed Wheels, which act on each other, and thus the whole are set in motion together. The small Pulleys at the top are to lift up the covers of the cards that the inside of the Machine may be cleaned and oiled. After the Cotton has gone through the Cards, it is stripped off at the other end by a brass, iron, or steel plate, which is called the Doffer, because scrapes the Cotton from the front cylinder, whilst moved up and down by means of a Crank. The Cotton is then drawn together by a Brass Funnel, which guides it between Iron or Brass Rollers it is then formed into a soft rope or strip, and falls into a Can set to receive it. The girls seen in the picture are called Can-Tenders; their business is to press the Cotton slightly into the Can until it contains enough; and then, breaking the strip, to remove the full Can, and put an empty one in its place.