USE OF PLANTS TO MAN 



363 



248. Plants for Clothing. Man even in the wild or 

 savage state must have food in order to live, but in warm 

 climates he can do without clothing and so he wears but 

 very little. As he progresses in civilization he increases 

 his clothing until his whole body is covered. Most of the 

 primitive clothing was made of skins and furs of animals, 



TRANSPLANTING RICE IN JAPAN 



but man in the civilized condition has learned to use many 

 kinds of plants for clothing. Some of these plants are 

 cultivated and some grow wild. 



Cotton a few years ago was cultivated exclusively for 

 its fine fiber which was and is used for making clothing. 

 Cotton needs a long season for its growth and so it is 

 raised only in warm climates. In the southern United 

 States it is usually planted in March and harvested in 

 September and October. The seeds are covered with a 



