CHAPTER XV 

 FIBER CROPS 



221. Kinds of fiber crops. Fibers are used chiefly for the 

 manufacture of cloth, and are animal (such as wool) and vege- 

 table (such as cotton, hemp, and flax). By far the more impor- 

 tant are the vegetable fibers, and chief in importance among 

 these is cotton. 



I. COTTON 



222. The uses of cotton. Cotton is adapted to a wide range 

 of uses. Of all the vegetable fibers from which clothing is manu- 

 factured, most civilized peoples use cotton clothing, and their 

 parlors, dining rooms, and bedrooms are furnished largely with 

 cotton fabrics. The coarsest sailcloths and tarpaulins are made 

 of cotton. Collodion and allied products used for photographic 

 films and many useful household articles are made from cotton. 

 Guncotton, a high explosive, is prepared by treating cotton with 

 nitric acid. Absorbent cotton, an invaluable adjunct to modern 

 surgery, is prepared by removing from the fiber the substance 

 that makes the cell wall repellent to water. Cottonseed is used 

 to some extent by farmers as feed for live stock and as a fer- 

 tilizer. The oil is extracted from the seed and refined. The 

 better grades are used as table oil (sometimes as an adulterant 

 of olive oil) ; for preserving sardines or other canned goods ; for 

 cooking (either alone or compounded with animal fats and other 

 products). The lower grades of oil are used in the manufacture 



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