The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-08-28
Cotton Fiber.

Ine IOuOWlng, from an exhaustive pa
per on the natural history of cotton, was
read before the Boston Society OF Nat
ural History by Henry @. Kittredge,
whose able reports on wool at the Cen :
tennial exhibition will be remembered:
The cotton fiber is hollow, elongated
cylinder, the walls of which are of the
purest and thinnest cellulose, filled with
a sap or protoplasm, more or less glu-
tinous, which in the state of maturation
becomes dense by the dissipation of the
volatile parts, causing the filament to
assume spiral convolution. During
the process OF ripening the fiber col
lapses, presenting the appearance OF q
fiat ribbon with thickened margins. In
proportion to the abundance of the dry
glutine and the amount of twist in the
fiber, 80 its strength and pliability, two
OF the chief values for manufacturing
purposes.
The glutinous composition gives what
is called the body to the cotton, which
is more copious in rich cotton as is
grown on rich land, which accounts for
the superiority in strength OF such cot
ton over that grown on poor soil. The
direction of the twist in the fiber is va.
riab]e, and not always complete, there
being quarter. half, three quarter. full
turns.
The number of situations to an inch
differs according to the nature of the
cotton, but seldom exceeding $50; nor
are they uniform throughout the fiber.
The largest number of twists to the inch
that ever came under my observation
was 160, including half turns. L am
inclined to the opinion that the fineness
and softness of cotton are dependent
greatly upon relative humidity of the
atmosphere. The fineness of the fibers
averages not far from LOGO diameters to
the inch.
The chemical analysis of the seed and
fiber demonstrates the existence OF
potash, lime and magnesia as the prin-
cipal constituents in various combina-
tions. The most satisfactory analysis
which have seen is this: For the ash
of the seed. sixty per cent. phosphate of
lime, thirty per cent. phosphate of pot
ash and ten per cent. of other sub.
stances. For the ash of the fiber, thirty
three and one-third per cent. phosphate
of potash, sixteen and two thirds per
cent. phosphate of lime, twelve and one
half per cent. phosphoric acid, and
thirt- -Gseven and one-half per cent.
magnesia and other elements. A bale
of lint cotton of 400 pounds, thoroughly
incinerated, woald yield about four
pounds of ash, half of which is made up
of phosphates Of potash and lime.
The seed from which this lint is taken,
eWos 800 pounds, reduced to an 'Uss
would yield about fifty pounds, over
half of which is composed of phosphates
of lime and potash, the lime preponder-
ating. These constitu ants, as found in
the seed, are who ly, or nearly SO, from
the hull, the kernel furnishing but little.
1t is well known that the natural color
of cotton is white, reddish or yellow; but
the composition OF these colofs has never
been satisfactorily explained, any more
than it is thought they are allied with
some pectine and resinous substances
which can be removed by treatment with
diluted alkaline solutions ,- >
For the most favorable results the
plant requires uniform temperature,
a singular adjustment of heat and mois-
ture, peculiar equilibrium in the eli
matte relations between the mountains
and the sea, abundant rains during the
planting season, frequent and gentle
showers while Towering and fruiting,
and rainless period at maturation and
gathering. 1t is one of the least ex.
haustive of any known crop plants; that
is, if the stalk and the seed are retained
to the soil and nothing but the lint taken
from it. 1t is said that an average crop
of wheat (ten bushels) takes from an
acre of land about thirty-two pounds of
vegetable food, such as potash, lime,
and nitrogen; while of these
elements the cotton plant removes in
lint only two and three quarter pounds
per acre, presuming 450 pounds of seed
cotton to the acre.