THE LIBRARY OF USEFUL STORIES

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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

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Copyright, 1898, 1902,

By D. APPLETON AND COMPANY.

Printed in the United States of America

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PREFACE.

In collecting the facts which will be found in this Story of the Cottonplant, the author has of necessity had to consult many books. He isespecially indebted to Baines' "History of the Cotton Manufacture,"French's "Life and Times of Samuel Crompton," Lee's "Vegetable Lamb ofTartary," Report of the U. S. A. Agricultural Department on "The CottonPlant," and The American Cotton Company's Booklet on the CylindricalBale.

Mr. Thornley, spinning master at the Technical School, Bolton, has fromtime to time offered very important suggestions during the progress ofthis little work. The author is also deeply indebted to the late Mr.Woods of the Technical School, Bolton, who was good enough to photographmost of the pictures which illustrate this book, and without which itwould have been impossible to make the story clear.

For permission to reproduce Fig. 3, the thanks of the author are due toMessrs. Sampson Low and Co., for Fig. 4, to Messrs. Longmans, Green[Pg 6] andCo. For Figs. 5, 8, 9, 13, and 36, to Messrs. Dobson and Barlow, Ltd.,Bolton. For Fig. 7, viz., the Longitudinal and TransverseMicrophotographs of Cotton Fibre, the author is much indebted to Mr.Christie of Mark Lane, London, who generously photographed themespecially for this work. For Fig. 23, I am obliged to Mr. A. Perry,Bolton.

Textile and Engineering School,
Bolton.

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CONTENTS.