Cotton

:''For information on the cotton plant, see cotton plant.'' :''For the British band leader and entertainer, see Billy Cotton.'' Cotton is a soft fibre that grows around the seeds of the cotton plant, a shrub native to the tropical and subtropical regions of both the Old World and the New World. The fibre is most often spun into yarn and used to make a soft, breathable textile. Cotton is a valuable crop because only about 10% of the raw weight is lost in processing. Once traces of wax, protein, etc. are removed, the remainder is a natural polymer of pure cellulose. This cellulose is arranged in a way that gives cotton unique properties of strength, durability, and absorbency. Each fibre is made up of twenty to thirty layers of cellulose coiled in a neat series of natural springs. When the cotton boll (seed case) is opened the fibres dry into flat, twisted, ribbon-like shapes and become kinked together and interlocked. This interlocked form is ideal for spinning into a fine yarn. ==History== [[Image:Mandeville cotton.jpg|thumb|Cotton plant as imagined and drawn by John Mandeville in the 14th century]] Cotton has been used to make very fine lightweight cloth in areas with tropical climates for millennia. Some authorities claim that it was likely that the Egyptians had cotton as early as 12,000 BC, and evidence has been found of cotton in Mexico caves (cotton cloth and fragments of fibre interwoven with feathers and fur) which dated back to approximately 7,000 years ago. There is clear archaeological evidence that people in South America and India domesticated different species of cotton independently thousands of years ago. The earliest written reference to cotton is in India. Cotton has been grown in India for more than three thousand years, and it is referred to in the Rig-Veda, written in 1500 BC. A thousand years later the great Greek historian Herodotus wrote about Indian cotton: "There are trees which grow wild there, the fruit of which is a wool exceeding in beauty and goodness that of sheep. The Indians make their clothes of this tree wool". During the late mediaeval period, cotton became known as an imported fibre in northern Europe, without any knowledge of what it came from other than that it was a plant; people in the region, familiar only with animal fibres (wool from sheep), could only imagine that cotton must be produced by plant-borne sheep. John Mandeville, writing in 1350, stated as fact the now-preposterous belief: "There grew there India a wonderful tree which bore tiny lambs on the endes of its branches. These branches were so pliable that they bent down to allow the lambs to feed when they are hungrie.". This aspect is retained in the name for cotton in many European languages, such as German language ''Baumwolle'', which translates as "tree wool". By the end of the 16th century BC, cotton was cultivated throughout the warmer regions in Africa, Eurasia and the Americas. The Indian cotton processing industry was eclipsed during the Britain Industrial Revolution, when the invention of the Spinning Jenny (1764) and Arkwright's spinning frame (1769) enabled cheap mass-production of cotton cloth in the United Kingdom. Production capacity was further improved by the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney in 1793. In the United States, growing the three crops, cotton, indigo dye and tobacco historically were the leading occupations of slaves. After emancipation, the share cropping system evolved which in many cases differed little from the systems of slavery. ==Production== Today cotton is produced in many parts of the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas and Australia, using cotton plants that have been selectively bred so that each plant grows more fibre. In 2002, cotton was grown on 330,000 km² of farmland. 47 billion pounds (21 million t) of raw cotton worth 20 billion dollars US was grown that year. The cotton industry relies heavily on chemicals such as fertilisers and insecticides, although some farmers are moving towards an organic model of production, and chemical-free organic cotton products are now available. Historically, one of the most economically destructive pests in cotton production has been the boll weevil. Most cotton is harvested mechanically, either by a cotton picker, a machine that removes the cotton from the boll without damaging the cotton plant, or by a cotton stripper which strips the entire boll off the plant. Cotton strippers are generally used in regions where it is too windy to grow picker varieties of cotton and generally used after application of a defoliant or natural defoliation occurring after a freeze. Cotton is a perennial crop in the tropics and without defoliation or freezing, the plant will continue to grow. Cotton is a close relative of okra and hibiscus. The logistics of cotton harvesting and processing have been improved by the development of the cotton module builder, a machine that compresses harvested cotton into a large block, which is then covered with a tarp and temporarily stored at the edge of the field. ==Cotton processing== After cultivation, cotton is harvested at the farm, and goes through multiple processes. Before processing, there are 3 stages: # Ginning # Spinning # Weaving After weaving, cotton typically fabric passes through several processing stages. After some stages the fabric can be directly used in the final product, for example unbleached cloth is used in grain bags. Typical stages are: #Singeing #Desizing #Scouring #Bleaching #Mercerizing #Dyeing #Finishing ==Uses== In addition to the textile industry, cotton is used in fishnets, coffee filters, tents and in bookbinding. The first Chinese paper was made of cotton fiber, as is the modern US dollar bill and federal stationery. Fire hoses were once made of cotton. Denim, a type of durable cloth, is made mostly of cotton, as are T-shirts. The cottonseed which remains after the cotton is ginned is used to produce cottonseed oil, which after refining can be consumed by humans like any other vegetable oil. The cottonseed meal that is left is generally fed to livestock. ==Fair trade== Cotton is an enormously important commodity throughout the world. However, many farmers in developing countries receive a low price for their produce, or find it difficult to compete with developed countries. This has led to 'fair trade' cotton clothing being available in some countries. == Old British cotton yarn measures == *1 thread = 54 inches (c. 137 cm) *1 skein or rap = 80 threads (120 yards or c. 109 m) *1 hank = 7 skeins (840 yards or c. 768 m) *1 spindle = 18 hanks (15,120 yards or c. 13.826 km) == References and further reading == * ''The Thames and Hudson Manual of Dyes and Fabrics'', Joyce Storey, 1978 * [http://gardenbees.com/cotton%20spray/cottonspray.htm Photo documentation and commentary on collateral damage to the environment from cotton spraying] == External links == *[http://www.cottoninc.com/ Cotton Incorporated] - a cotton industry trade group Materials Fibers Arabic words simple:Cotton

Cotton

== Picture problem == I can't see the picture on the top of the page. I don't know how to fix it. User:Rmhermen 14:56, Oct 15, 2003 (UTC) : It works from my school and at the local public library. - user:zanimum ==GM cotton Australia== From recent newspaper accounts I doubt that this prediction for GM cotton in Australia came true. Does anyone have details on the actual current extant of GM cotton there? I added the old text but I haven't found recent details on cotton, only on canola, wheat, etc. User:Rmhermen 16:19, Apr 1, 2004 (UTC) ==Pesticide drift== Re: [http://gardenbees.com/cotton%20spray/cottonspray.htm Photo documentation and commentary on collateral damage to the environment from cotton spraying] This problem is not specific to cotton. Wouldn't this link be more appropriate in an article on pesticides or pesticide drift? User:H2O 02:11, 18 Jul 2004 (UTC)

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Words begining with Cotton:

Cotton
Cotton
Cotton-Top_Tamarin_Monkey
Cotton-Top_Tamarin_Monkey
Cottonball_Marsh_Pupfish
Cottondale
Cottondale,_FL
Cottondale,_Florida
Cottonmouth
Cottonmouth
Cottonmouth_(comics)
Cottonport
Cottonport,_LA
Cottonport,_Louisiana
Cottons
Cottonseed_oil
Cottontail
Cottontail_rabbit
Cottontail_rabbit
Cottonthistle
Cottontop_Tamarin
Cottontop_Tamarin
Cottontop_tamarin
Cottonwood
Cottonwood,_AL
Cottonwood,_Alabama
Cottonwood,_Alabama
Cottonwood,_Arizona
Cottonwood,_Arizona
Cottonwood,_AZ
Cottonwood,_CA
Cottonwood,_California
Cottonwood,_CO
Cottonwood,_Colorado
Cottonwood,_ID
Cottonwood,_Idaho
Cottonwood,_Minnesota
Cottonwood,_MN
Cottonwood,_SD
Cottonwood,_South_Dakota
Cottonwood,_Texas
Cottonwood,_TX
Cottonwood-Verde_Village
Cottonwood-Verde_Village,_Arizona
Cottonwood-Verde_Village,_Arizona
Cottonwood-Verde_Village,_AZ
Cottonwoods
Cottonwood_(disambiguation)
Cottonwood_County
Cottonwood_County,_Minnesota
Cottonwood_County,_Minnesota
Cottonwood_County,_Minnesota
Cottonwood_County,_MN
Cottonwood_Falls
Cottonwood_Falls,_Kansas
Cottonwood_Falls,_KS
Cottonwood_Heights
Cottonwood_Heights,_UT
Cottonwood_Heights,_Utah
Cottonwood_River
Cottonwood_Shores
Cottonwood_Shores,_Texas
Cottonwood_Shores,_TX
Cottonwood_Township,_Minnesota
Cottonwood_Township,_MN
Cottonwood_West
Cottonwood_West,_UT
Cottonwood_West,_Utah
Cotton_bollworm
Cotton_Boll_Weevil
Cotton_Bowl
Cotton_Bowl_(game)
Cotton_Bowl_(stadium)
Cotton_Bowl_Stadium
Cotton_bud
Cotton_candy
Cotton_Club
Cotton_Club
Cotton_Club_(Portland)
Cotton_County
Cotton_County,_OK
Cotton_County,_Oklahoma
Cotton_County,_Oklahoma
Cotton_County,_Oklahoma
Cotton_diplomacy
Cotton_Fabric
Cotton_famine
Cotton_famine
Cotton_Fitzsimmons
Cotton_Genesis
Cotton_gin
Cotton_gin
Cotton_Gin_Port,_Mississippi
Cotton_Gin_Port,_MS
Cotton_Green
Cotton_Hill
Cotton_Hill
Cotton_Hill_(King_of_the_Hill)
Cotton_Hill_(King_of_the_Hill)
Cotton_Incorporated
Cotton_Kings
Cotton_library
Cotton_Mather
Cotton_Matther
Cotton_mill
Cotton_mills
Cotton_Mouth
Cotton_pad
Cotton_pad
Cotton_picker
Cotton_picking
Cotton_Plant
Cotton_plant
Cotton_plant
Cotton_Plant,_AR
Cotton_Plant,_Arkansas
Cotton_Plant,_Arkansas
Cotton_plantation
Cotton_Producers_Association
Cotton_Pygmy-Goose
Cotton_Pygmy-goose
Cotton_Pygmy_Goose
Cotton_pygmy_goose
Cotton_swab
Cotton_tensor
Cotton_thistle
Cotton_Township,_Minnesota
Cotton_Township,_MN
Cotton_Valley,_LA
Cotton_Valley,_Louisiana
Cotton_wool