Re: Describe the operation of a roller gin as opposed to a regular cotton gin

Sorry for the delay...

After the crop has been gathered  the fibres are seperated from the seeds 
by a process known as ginning. Gins (i.e. ginning machines) may be 
classified into two types the saw gin and the roller gin. A saw gin 
consists of a series of circular saws having specially shaped teeth and 
used mainly for short and medium staple cottons.  
Modern gins have 80-120 saws mounted on a long, horizontal shaft at 
suitable intervals. Seed cotton is fed through a hopper and the saws 
operate against it as the fibres known as lints become separated from the 
seed.   
   
In a roller gin: 
A knife jerks the seed from the fibre while the latter is pulled away 
between a roller and a fixed knife. McCarthy gin is a special type of 
roller gin. Roller ginning which is often preferred for longer fibres is 
slower and more costly process.  
Cotton linters are the short, fuzzy hair-like fibres that remain on the 
seeds after ginning has been done. The cotton linters are removed by a 
second ginning process. They are used in the manufacture of viscose (or 
rayons) and acetates, plastics, shatter proof glass, photographic film and 
for other purposes.  

I hope this helps........Mark