Abstract: A method and apparatus for cleaning cotton is disclosed wherein an air stream bearing cotton is introduced into an inlet chamber having side-by-side outlet ducts covered with a screen that collects cotton yet lets trash pass therethrough. The air stream is alternately diverted from one outlet duct to the other so that while cotton is accumulating on the screen in front of one duct, it is being removed from the other. The cotton, as it is removed from the screen, falls onto an inclined shaker screen which vibrates additional dirt from the cotton before it is discharged from the apparatus.

Abstract: Method and apparatus for blending textile fibers which includes simultaneously depositing a plurality of predetermined fiber loads onto a continuously moving conveyor at spaced locations thereon, providing a suction conduit at the delivery end of such conveyor for accepting the fiber loads and transporting them separately and serially to a receiver unit where the fiber loads are caused to be stacked on top of one another as separate layers on a second conveyor, and then pressing the stacked layers of fiber loads against the second conveyor while operating the second conveyor to feed the stacked layers of fiber loads edgewise against a rotating beater which simultaneously separates portions of fiber from each separate layer in the stack to provide a substantially homogeneous blend of the separated fibers.