COTTON. 79 



of commercial botanists. The form, shape, colour, weight, and texture 

 of the seeds are often regarded as a good sign in determining the 

 species, owing to the close similarity of the fibres. 



Yachan or Silk Fibre (Cliorisia insignis, Sterculiacese). Vegetable 

 silky hairs are obtained from the seeds of this plant. The fibres have 

 the property of swelling out when put into water, and are used by 

 the natives of the Mataco Islands for padding and protective purposes. 



Up to the present time no species of vegetable silks have been 

 discovered with spiral fibres like those of cotton, and so long as this 

 is the case, vegetable silk for spinning purposes must remain at a 

 discount. 



COTTON. 



Descriptive. Cotton fibre is the product of four species belonging 

 to the genus Gossypium of the Natural Order Malvacete or Mallows. 



Some authors have, however, split them up into twelve or thirteen 

 species, notably Parlatore, an Italian botanist. 



The four species recognised commercially are : 



1. Gossypium hirsutum. 



2. JBarbadense. 



3. Peruvianum. 



4. ,, herbaceum or Indicum. 



G. liirsutum yields the principal medium staples of American cotton 

 used for spinning the medium counts of yarn known as " Oldham Counts," 

 about 34s. to 46s. twist, and 36s. to 54s. weft. 



G. Barbadense is the source of the strong, long-stapled cottons 

 (Brown Egyptian) used for fine yarns, and known to the trade as the 

 " Bolton Counts " also fine and extra fine counts from Sea Islands 

 cottons. 



From G. Peruvianum are obtained the strong, long-stapled Brazilian 

 varieties, used chiefly for spinning the yarns of medium fine counts, of 

 about 45s. to 70s. twist and weft. 



G. Indicum produces the shorter-stapled cottons used for the spinning 

 of low classes and waste counts of yarn. The latter are sometimes known 

 in the trade as condenser yarns, and have been used for flannelettes. 



In America, India, and Egypt the cotton plant is cultivated as an 

 annual, but in the Brazils the plant assumes an arborescent or tree-like 

 form, and produces cotton bolls for several years in succession ; it is 

 therefore termed a perennial plant. 



Fig. 50 is a young seedling cotton plant showing its two entire 



