Job Description:

• 1) Classifies cotton according to grade, staple length, and character, employing knowledge of cotton fiber and standards for various grades as established by U.

• 2) S.

• 3) Department of Agriculture: Examines cotton sample to detect variations in color; foreign matter, such as pieces of bolls, leaves, or twigs; undeveloped seeds, sand, and dust; and preparation defects, such as gin-cut fibers and neps.

• 4) Pulls layer of fibers from cotton sample with fingers to form rectangular tuft, places tuft on black background, and estimates or measures staple length, using cotton-stapling rule.

• 5) Determines character of fibers by pulling sample tuft apart between fingers, observing effort expanded in breaking sample, fineness of fibers, and drag as fibers cling to each other.

• 6) Classifies fibers according to standards for various grades.

• 7) May examine fibers through microscope to determine maturity and spirality of fibers.

• 8) Records grade on bale identification tag and bale number and grade on shipping, receiving, or sales sheet.