Abstract: Dilute sulphuric acid is added to, and thoroughly mixed with, lint-bearing cotton seeds to saturate the lint on those lint-bearing cotton seeds. The resulting acid-treated lint-bearing cotton seeds have heated air passed adjacent to and around them while they are thoroughly stirred. The resulting dried acid-treated lint-bearing cotton seeds have the lint separated therefrom by being recurrently forced into engagement with other cotton seeds. The adding and mixing of the acid, the drying of the acid-treated lint-bearing cotton seeds, and the separating of the lint from the dried acid-treated lint-bearing cotton seeds are performed on a continuous basis rather than on a batch basis.