COMMERCIAL FIBERS OF THE PHILIPPINES. 19 



usefulness and beauty are more perfectly wrought by the use of ma- 

 chinery. The growth in the quantity of cotton consumed, and the devel- 

 opment of the cotton industries during the past century have been most 

 striking. This growth is due primarily to the invention of the cotton gin 

 in 1793, which made it possible for the fiber to take its place as an essen- 

 tial in the economy of mankind. During the first decade of the nine- 

 teenth century the production reached 300,000 bales. The production 

 then gradually increased during the next forty years until more than 

 2,000,000 bales were produced, while at the present time more than 

 13,000,000 bales are required to supply the world's demand. 



The cotton plant is a member of the Malvaceae or mallow family. It 

 belongs to the genus Gossypmm, of which there are a number of species. 

 These plants have been cultivated for so many hundreds of years, and 

 hence are so subject to modification by climatic and soil influences, that 

 it is very difficult to determine the type of the species and varieties. 

 Among the recognized species of economic importance are 0. kerba- 

 ceum, G. barbadense, G. brasiliense, and G. arboreum. G. lierbaceum, 

 with its varieties, is the species most extensively cultivated in the United 

 States, where it grows as far north as latitude 36. The staple of this 

 cotton is not so long and soft as the Sea Island kinds, but because of its 

 adaptability to the soil and climate of the United States it contributes 

 more largely to the quantity and value of the world's product than any 

 other species. The well-known Sea Island cotton is included in the G. 

 barbadense and its varieties. This kind produces a longer staple than 

 perhaps any other economic species, but the yield is less and it is more 

 limited in its geographical distribution. The plant flourishes south of 

 latitude 26 N., and as a general rule requires a humid climate, though 

 irrigation will sometimes compensate for this. The famous Egyptian 

 cotton belongs to this class. 



The other two species mentioned, G. arboreum and G. brasiliense, are 

 for the most part inhabitants of tropical countries and are of lesser eco- 

 nomic importance than the preceding. G. arboreum, however, with 

 its variety neglectum is planted in India and forms the Decca and Bengal 

 cotton of commerce. The fiber of these varieties is generally long and 

 fine, but the yield is not large. All species of cotton are naturally peren- 

 nials, but in cultivation they are sometimes annuals or biennials. They 

 grow as perennials in most of the islands of the Philippines, where they 

 are flowering and fruiting nearly all the year round. 



Unlike the fibers previously considered, the cotton is what we call a 

 surface fiber; that is, it is the unicellular filaments growing upon the 

 surface of the seeds, and not entering into the structural substance of the 

 plant. The staple of the different varieties of cotton varies. The average 

 length of the Sea Island varieties is 1.65 inches, and that of the Brasilian 

 1.25 inches, that of the herbaceous varieties 1.10 inches and that of the 

 arboreum 0.9 inch. When the cotton fiber is ripe each filament has a 



