Abstract: This disclosure relates to a method of removing a generally uniform layer portion of fibrous material from the top of a bale of compressed fibrous material and loosening the fibers of the layer portion during the removal thereof by providing a bale of relatively compressed fibrous material having a predetermined upper surface area, providing a suction hood having an overall area corresponding in size generally to the upper surface area of the fibrous bale, creating at least two spaced linear areas of suction across the overall area of the hood while preventing the creation of suction between the two linear suction areas, positioning the suction hood in overlying contiguous relationship to the bale upper surface area whereby the suction draws the fibrous material upwardly across the overall area and loosens the compressed condition thereof to a generally fluffed state through a uniform depth thereof, raising the suction hood to remove a general uniform depth of the loosened fibrous material across generally th

Abstract: This disclosure relates to apparatus for cleaning natural fibers of their contaminants by passing the same through a pair of rotary drum sieves each having a porous peripheral surface subject to a vacuum whereby natural fibers adhere to the porous peripheral surfaces and contaminants are drawn therethrough, the drum sieves being disposed with portions of their peripheral surfaces defining a throat through which the fibers pass, and means contiguous the throat for cutting off the vacuum effect of the first drum sieve whereby the fibers are transferred from the first drum peripheral surface to that of the second drum.

Abstract: This disclosure relates to an opening and cleaning machine for fibrous material, including a plurality of rotatable beaters disposed within a housing, grating means adjacent to and beneath the beater units, guide plate meansgenerally adjacent to and above the beater units, first and second aperture means respectively adjacent first and last of the beater units through which fibrous material is respectively fed into and removed from the machine, and third aperture means in a top wall of the housing through which suction can be drawn to remove dust during the processing of the fibrous material.