Cotton
By: Joey Fields
Description
Cotton is a small, soft, important fiber crop that is in a boll or its protective capsule. Cotton grows on a shrub.
Growing Season
Cotton is planted in the spring in long rows called furrows.
in the summer the cotton boll appears and you begin to prepare for harvest
when Autumn rolls around it is time to harvest. The cotton is then shipped to be ginned
How is Cotton Grown/ planted
- Cotton has to be grown in hot/ humid areas with lots of sunshine. That's why Cotton is grown in the South.
- Cotton is planted in rows called furrows
Harvesting Cotton
- Cotton is harvest in the Autumn and is harvested by using a cotton picker. a Machine that ricks the bolls without destroying the plant.
- A Cotton Stripper is another machine that is used in more windy regions and it strips the entire boll from the plant.
- In some countries people can't use machine so they pick cotton by hand (some regions in India)
Case Cotton Picker
Cotton Picker dumping
Hand picker in India
Cotton Gin and Technology
- Before the invention of the Cotton Gin slaves had to pick the cotton by hand, it was the first way of picking cotton.
- In 1793 the Cotton Gin was invented by Eli Whitney
- It was the new technology to have in the Cotton fields.
- the cotton gin works by rapidly separating the fibers from the seeds which made good for production.
- The cotton gin is still used today because it is really the only way to separate the fibers and the seed but have been changes to the original design.
Early Model of the Cotton Gin
Modern Cotton GIn
diagram of the Cotton Gin
Pest Problems
- Cotton Aphids - they damage cotton by eating the sap of the plant
- To prevent this is to use chemicals to kill or to prevent
Production of Cotton
Cotton is mostly used for:
- Cotton Balls
- Clothes
- Bed sheets
- cotton seed oil
- cotton fibers for more cloths.
facts about cotton
There is more cotton grown globally than any other non-edible crops
Cotton is one of the easiest fabrics to dye, making it very popular with fashion and home ware designers.