Produced by Peter Vachuska, Stephanie Eason, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net. THE LIBRARY OF USEFUL STORIES Image: A COTTON FIELD IN TEXAS THE STORY OF THE COTTON PLANT BY FREDERICK WILKINSON, F. G. S. DIRECTOR OF THE TEXTILE AND ENGINEERING SCHOOL, BOLTON AND CO-AUTHOR OF ELEMENTS OF COTTON SPINNING _WITH THIRTY-EIGHT ILLUSTRATIONS_ NEW YORK AND LONDON D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 1912 COPYRIGHT, 1898, 1902, BY D. APPLETON AND COMPANY. Printed in the United States of America PREFACE. In collecting the facts which will be found in this Story of the Cotton plant, the author has of necessity had to consult many books. He is especially indebted to Baines' "History of the Cotton Manufacture," French's "Life and Times of Samuel Crompton," Lee's "Vegetable Lamb of Tartary," Report of the U. S. A. Agricultural Department on "The Cotton Plant," and The American Cotton Company's Booklet on the Cylindrical Bale. Mr. Thornley, spinning master at the Technical School, Bolton, has from time to time offered very important suggestions during the progress of this little work. The author is also deeply indebted to the late Mr. Woods of the Technical School, Bolton, who was good enough to photograph most of the pictures which illustrate this book, and without which it would have been impossible to make the story clear. For permission to reproduce Fig. 3, the thanks of the author are due to Messrs. Sampson Low and Co., for Fig. 4, to Messrs. Longmans, Green and Co. For Figs. 5, 8, 9, 13, and 36, to Messrs. Dobson and Barlow, Ltd., Bolton. For Fig. 7, viz., the Longitudinal and Transverse Microphotographs of Cotton Fibre, the author is much indebted to Mr. Christie of Mark Lane, London, who generously photographed them especially for this work. For Fig. 23, I am obliged to Mr. A. Perry, Bolton. FRED WILKINSON. TEXTILE AND ENGINEERING SCHOOL, BOLTON. CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. ORIGIN, GROWTH, AND CHIEF CULTIVATED SPECIES OF COTTON PLANT 9 II. COTTON-PLANT DISEASES AND PESTS 34 III. CULTIVATION OF THE COTTON PLANT IN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES 39 IV. THE MICROSCOPE AND COTTON FIBRE 64 V. PLANTATION LIFE AND EARLY CLEANING PROCESSES 72 VI. MANIPULATION OF COTTON IN OPENING, SCUTCHING, CARDING, DRAWING, AND FLY-FRAME MACHINES 82 VII. EARLY ATTEMPTS AT SPINNING, AND EARLY INVENTORS 112 VIII. FURTHER DEVELOPMENTS--ARKWRIGHT AND CROMPTON 126 IX. THE MODERN SPINNING MULE 146 X. OTHER PROCESSES IN COTTON SPINNING 160 XI. DESTINATION OF THE SPUN YARN 176