Cotton

 Fact Sheet: Cotton
"The Fabric of our lives"

 

·          Cotton is a natural fiber that is harvested from a cotton plant

·          There are several species of “wild cotton” (cotton that grows uncultivated) in the world. They have been found in Australia, Africa, Arizona, Central America, Lower California, Brazil, Mexico and other tropical countries and islands.

·          Each fiber is an outgrowth of a single cell that develops in the surface layer of the cotton seed. During early stages of its growth, the fiber elongates to its full length as a thin-walled tube. As it matures, the fiber wall is thickened by deposits of cellulose inside the tube, leaving a hollow area in the center. When the growth period ends and the living material die, the fiber collapses and twists about its own axis.

·          Cotton is harvested by hand or machine.

·          Once picked the cotton get pressed into large modules, each containing some 20,000 lbs of cotton.

 (cottoninc)