Knowing your "Cotton"

Introduction

Cotton is a vegetable fibre obtained from the mature capsule of the cotton plant, a shrub about 40 cm high, with leaves and flowers of a red or yellow colour. When the flower is fecundated it loses its petals and within 25 days a capsule surrounded by a leaf called bract grows. The capsule is sustained by a cup and has a drop shape rounded at the lower extremity. Inside the capsule there are from five to eight seeds on which the fibre developed. When the capsule is mature it opens into four parts showing the cotton ball. On the same plant the maturation of the capsules does not occur simultaneously, therefore more passages are required for the harvest of the cotton. The harvest is carried out a week after maturation. The first operation after harvesting is husking, which permits the removal of the fibres from the seeds. Then the cotton is carded and combed so as to eliminate all the impurities. 4000 fibers is the seed average. Staple length = 1/8" - 2.5" (0.32 - 6.35cm) -  for manufacturing yarns, fabrics, 7/8" - 11/4" (2.22 - 3.18cm) is standard.