The Gin

[Southern]

This is our last surviving local gin still in action. Not much has changed to him over the years. This place looks like it has since I was a kid. Which was back in the 1980s.

The yard. This is where the cotton wagons are parked. Waiting for their turn to unload. The gin can get backed up. So by the end of day and morning you will find a lot of wagons.

Typical size wagon most found.


Here is where they made a larger version. Adding a set of tandems and made it longer. In some cases taller too. This is another common wagon used.


Here is a monster. This is one big wagon. I only saw a couple of these.


The Gin where cotton is cleaned, processed, and made into bales for market.


Wagon getting unloaded. A suction pipe is used to clean out the wagons. And it is taken inside to the gin.


The Gin. This is where cotton is worked up into a bale.




The Press. This is where the cotton is pressed into a bale.


Here is a bale of cotton waiting for market.


The bale is put into a wrapper. Which keeps it in good shape during delivery.


Bales waiting for market. Sticking out of the building is pipes. This is where cotton seed is blown into a silo.


Some close up pics of cotton itself.

[Farmall400]

thats neat ive never seen how cotton was cleaned or transported

[70ds]

That is cool. I have never seen a gin. Always wondered how that worked. What do they do there the rest of the year? Is it just open during cotton season?

[Southern]

Nov 16, 2011 19:18:05 GMT -5 70ds said:

That is cool. I have never seen a gin. Always wondered how that worked. What do they do there the rest of the year? Is it just open during cotton season?

It is also a small elevator. Plus a seed store and farm supply. They are open all year. You can see part of the elevator in the background in one of the pics.

[HuskerGLEANER]

Thanks for sharing that, never even had an idea of how that worked. Noticed one wagon had a tarp but the others didn't, do most people tarp those or not and if not do they lose much cotton?

[Southern]

Nov 16, 2011 22:00:14 GMT -5 HuskerGLEANER said:

Thanks for sharing that, never even had an idea of how that worked. Noticed one wagon had a tarp but the others didn't, do most people tarp those or not and if not do they lose much cotton?

If you don't tarp a wagon. You do have some flying off the trailer as you go down the road. You can usually follow where they are picking. By looking for the cotton trail.