Cotton grows in almost every part of the Globe where the climatic
conditions are favorable. The plant requires a moderate amount of
moisture, but a good deal of sunshine and also warm nights. Countries
with a moist warm climate are suitable for the raising of particular
good qualities.
The chief country of production is the southern part of the United
States of North America. Considerable crops are also grown in East
India and Egypt, and lesser quantities come from the Caucasus,
Turkestan, China, Brazil, Argentine, Peru and Africa. The continental
consumption looks for the greater part to American cotton, but, also,
East Indian is extensively used. In the Southern States of America, the
first cotton ripens in August. The bolls containing cotton, will grow
well into the Autumn, and even in Winter new bolls will be formed, and
it is only a killing frost, which terminates the productive force of
the plant. When the bolls are ripe, they open, and then the picking
commences. As a rule, the first pickings are the best as to color and
cleanness, and the longer the bolls are exposed to the inclemencies of
the weather in Autumn and Winter, the more the quality will
deteriorate. The picked cotton consists of two thirds of seed and one
third of actual cotton. In order to obtain the fibre, the cotton is
passed through a ginning machine. From the seeds, edible oil is gained
and the residue is manufactured into food for cattle, while the cotton
is formed into bales in specially constructed presses. It is natural,
that cotton should show a great diversity of quality, owing to the
influence of weather during the long period of picking. The color of
cotton covers a fair range, one sees not only snow white and creamy
cotton, but also bluish, grey, red and mixed colors.
The value of cotton is determined by its quality and character. Of
chief importance is the percentage of the loss during the cleaning
process in the cotton mill. A normal percentage of loss for medium
grades is 10%, this is likely to be higher, if the cotton has been
picked during moist weather and contains much unripe cotton. The color
is also of great importance, discolored cotton has a decidedly lower
value, especially when this cannot be rectified by bleaching which is
mainly the case with heavily spotted or bluish cotton. An even greater
factor, than the outward appearance, is the inner value, which is
represented by the length and strength of the fibre (staple). The
staple length of common American cotton is from 24-28 mm. In great
request are the qualities, which have a longer staple than 28 mm,
especially when the staple is even, silky and strong. A difference of
only 1/2 mm in the length of the staple, may mean a difference of 10%
in the value. It is of the greatest importance to the cotton merchant
as well as to the spinner, that the cotton is correctly judged as
regards its outward appearance and the length of staple, this
adjudication or classing is by no means an easy task. A certain system
has been adopted by which the outward appearance of the cotton is fixed
by so-called standards into classes. A certain number of cotton samples
are arranged in a suitable flat box, in such a way that their surface
represents the color and cleanness of the respective class. If a lot of
cotton is to be classed, samples are drawn from every bale, these are
placed together, sample by sample, and the total thus gained, is
compared with the standard. In this way an opinion is formed, whether
the cotton is equal to the class represented by the standard, or
whether it is below it, in which case, this difference in class has to
be valued. The judging of the staple is a very difficult task, 1/2 mm
is of importance, and yet it is impossible to measure staple correctly.
Anybody, even with the greatest dexterity in his fingers, will not be
able to draw from a piece of cotton the single fibres, place them in
such a way next to each other, that they appear like Swedish matches in
a box. A good expert, however, is able to draw the staple in a manner,
that the average length will be accurately judged. To give a correct
opinion on cotton, rooms with a good light are required, much
experience and good judgment.
Next in importance for continental consumption is Egyptian and East
Indian cotton. The former is divided into two kinds, the long stapled,
which grows on the lower Nile, the Delta, and the shorter stapled,
Upper Egyptian cotton. The long stapled Egyptian is utilised for the
very finest yarns, and its only rival is or was Sea-Island cotton. This
latter grows on a group of islands, not far from the shore of Georgia
which have a moist warm climate, but the boll-weevil has played serious
havoc with that crop, and the cultivation has been greatly curtailed.
East India produces shorter stapled descriptions of great variety, but
each has a character of its own, and yet to differentiate between them,
is a knotty problem, especially, as now and then, one comes across a
somewhat fraudulent mixture. The names are mostly derived from the
locality in which they grow, while the climate and condition of the
ground give the character, and in some cases, even distinctive smell,
for instance, Oomra cotton smells like musk; occasionally the smell is
an indisputable proof of origin.
It has taken the continental cotton industry a long time to grow from
small beginnings to its present importance. The never lacking
competition has brought about a great improvement in the quality and
variety of the articles produced. It is astounding to compare the raw
material in the fields, with the finished articles in the windows of
some lady's outfitting shop. It requires many diligent hands and high
class technical guidance, to transfer Nature's present of raw cotton
into the manifold articles, which the people, nowadays, require and
desire.
The variety of these articles is countless: cloth, as fine as a
spider's web, and coarse fustian, here finest batiste, and there,
strong drill for overalls. Each finished article requires its own
particular raw material, low qualities cannot produce fine goods, and
it is also impossible to utilise high qualities for low grade goods.
The very arbitrary law for economic production, makes it a duty for
every spinner to select just that quality of cotton, which is most
suitable for his purpose, and it is the task of commerce to adapt the
offers and deliveries to the requirements of the consumer.