Cotton

HISTORY
In the early 1800s, there was a great agricultural boom in cotton.

Times were ripe for a cheap textile material because power looms could turn out cheap weavings. In addition, the growth of cities provided new markets.

The most important factor in the cotton boom was the invention of the cotton gin by Eli Whitney. The gin brought an end to the long process of hand separation of lint from seed.

Since Louisiana had great areas of rich land, the state began to cultivate the highly desirable crop.

Cotton has hundreds of uses in our everyday lives. These range from the sheets we sleep on at night, to the clothes we put on in the morning, to the laces in our shoes.

The world uses cotton more than any other fiber.

PRODUCTION
In early spring, seeds are planted 1-3 inches deep by mechanical planters in seedbeds. Plants are irrigated, fertilized and weeded during the 25-week growing cycle.

Cotton is planted in the spring and harvested in the fall by mechanical pickers. The growing season is 150-180 days.

The first true leaves appear after 2-4 weeks with the bud, also known as a square, appearing about 5-7 weeks after planting. The white blossoms become pollinated, turn light pink and then wither at about 9 weeks, letting the cotton boll develop, producing the fibers and seeds that are harvested.

The cotton bolls open naturally over time and a defoliant chemical is applied by ground or air to ensure top quality. This helps the leaves dry and fall off and any remaining closed bolls to open.

A mechanical cotton harvester moves through the field picking cotton, which is then packed into truckload-sized modules and taken to the gin. There are also picker/baler harvesters, which create smaller, round modules in the field.

The gin separates the cotton fibers from the seeds. Cleaning equipment removes twigs and other debris. The fiber, now called lint, is packed into 500-pound bales and then transported to textile mills.

The cotton is carded or combed—making all of the fibers run parallel—and then spun into thread. Some whole cottonseed is fed to cattle. Some seed is further processed. The fine linter fibers are removed and the seed is pressed and cooked, producing cottonseed oil and meal.

PRODUCTS
The cotton plant can be broken down into various parts. All parts of the cotton plant are useful.

The fiber, or lint, is the most important part and is used to make cloth. 

The stalk and leaves of the plant are plowed into the soil to help enrich it.

Farmers produce an average of more than one bale of cotton per acre of land. A bale of cotton is equal to 500 pounds of lint.

Today, when cotton is harvested, it is stored in modules. Modules hold 13-15 bales.

The fiber to make textiles is only one product we get from cotton. In fact, the cotton plant produces more food for both people and animals than it does fiber.

The cottonseed also has value. Cotton seeds can be crushed and separated into three parts: oil, meal and hulls. The oil is used for shortening and cooking oil. Cottonseed oil can also be found in a wide variety of food products such as chips, crackers and salad dressing. The meal and hulls remaining are used in livestock feeds and fertilizers.

The linters are the short fibers that cling to the seed; linters are used in film and currency.

VARIETIES
When selecting varieties, yield should be the primary factor. Varieties should be chosen based on performance in several different locations over several years.

Fiber quality is also taken into account because foreign mills demand more consistently high-quality fiber. This is important for the U.S. to continue to maintain and increase its presence in the world market.  

FUN FACTS

  • The world uses more cotton than any other fiber.

  • During the Gold Rush, Levi Strauss struck it rich by creating the first pair of cotton denim jeans for miners.

  • Thomas Edison used cotton to make the filament for the first electric light bulb.

ANATOMY

Cotton Plant Anatomy / Photo credit Mudpies & Butterflies.

Cotton Plant Anatomy / Photo credit Mudpies & Butterflies.

TERMS TO KNOW

  • Carding - the reduction of entangled mass of fibers to filmy web by working them between two closely-spaced, relatively-moving surfaces closed with sharp points

  • Combing - a method for preparing carded fiber for spinning

  • Gin - a machine for separating cotton from its seeds 

  • Irrigation - the supply of water to land or crops to help growth, typically by means of channels

  • Modules - forms of packaging or storing cotton 

  • Varieties - taxonomic categories of a plant, differing slightly in characteristics

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