Before going to the baling presses every yard of cotton cloth passes
under the vigilant eyes of the cloth inspectors, who mark as seconds
and lay aside all pieces containing imperfections. This inspection
is not a mere formality, but is conducted most carefully, and this
department is specially located to get the best and most perfect light.]
[Illustration: BALING PRESSES.
The bolts of finished cloth are now placed in presses and made into
bales of finished cloth and are ready for the market.]
[Illustration: Shipping platform of the White Oak Mills, Greensboro, N.
C., showing how the bales of finished cloth are handled in shipping.]
Pictures herewith by courtesy of White Oak Mills.
Who Discovered Cotton?
Just who discovered cotton is not known. The early records are so
incomplete that no individual can be credited with the discovery of
the value of this wonderful plant. Long before Cæsar’s time, among the
Hindoos they had a law that if you stole a piece of cotton you were
fined three times its value. Most of the early nations were familiar
with cotton--the early Egyptians, Chinese and other ancient people used
it and valued it.
What Nation Produces the Most Cotton?
The United States is the leader in the production of cotton, as in many
other important world products. We produce more than seventy-five per
cent of all the cotton grown in the world. The remainder is practically
all grown by East India, Egypt and Brazil.
What is Cotton Used For?
The cotton plant is one of the wonder plants of the world, when you
stop to think how well we could get along without wool or silk or other
fabrics if we had to.
Little would be lost to the world so far as actual comfort is concerned
if all of the other fabric-making materials were lost. We would sleep,
as we often do now, in beds the coverings of which were pure cotton,
in a room in which the rugs were woven from cotton, the sun kept out
of the room by cotton window shades. We could still have plenty of
good soap to wash our bodies and clothing, for much of our soap to-day
is made from cotton-seed oil; then we could use a cotton towel to dry
ourselves; and put on a complete outfit of clothing made entirely of
cotton. White cotton table cloths and napkins are not so fine as linen;
they are good enough for anyone. Your breakfast rolls will taste quite
as well if baked with cottolene instead of lard; the meat for your
dinner would be fed and fattened on cotton-seed meal and hulls as they
are now; you would have butter made from cotton-seed that compares
favorably with the butter you now have on the table; the tobacco in
your cigar would continue to be grown under cotton cloth and packed in
cotton bags; armies would still sleep under cotton tents and could use
gun-cotton to destroy the enemy.
What Are the Principal Cotton Cloths?
There are a great many different names given to cotton cloths, but
they may in general be divided into five classes--plain goods, twills,
sateen, fancy cloth and jacquard fabrics. The cotton cloth in each of
these classes varies and goes by different names. For instance, in
Plain Goods, the different kinds are lawn, nainsook, sheeting, mull,
print cloth, madras. The difference lies in the number of threads in
one inch of width, the fineness and the weave. The Twills have lines
running diagonally and are used for linings mostly. The difference
is in the weaving. Denim, largely used for overalls, belongs to the
class of Twills. Sateen is used for dress linings, dresses and waists.
Then there is the class of Fancy Cloths which is another kind of weave
used largely in children’s clothes, shirt waists, etc., and under
the name Scrim is fine for draperies and towelling. The other class,
Jacquard Fabrics, represents the most complicated form of weaving and
used largely under special individual names or brands for dress goods,
novelties, etc.
How Much Cotton Cloth Will a Pound of Cotton Make?
When the cotton is spun into yarn it is no longer sold by the bale, but
by the pound. It is impossible to make an exact statement of the amount
of cotton cloth one pound of cotton yarn will make, because of the
difference in weaving. It has, however, been figured out that a pound
of cotton yarn should make
3¹⁄₂ yards of sheeting, or
3³⁄₄ yards of muslin, or
9¹⁄₂ yards of lawn, or
7¹⁄₂ yards of calico, or
5¹⁄₂ yards of gingham, or
57 spools of thread.
[Illustration:
Picture by courtesy Browne & Howell Co.