Free Essay On Cotton

Textile is one of the products of utmost importance to human beings. Textile refers to a cloth or a fabric that is woven, knitted, or manufactured. It consists of a network of artificial or natural fibres called yarn or thread. Natural fibres are obtained from cotton and wool among others. This article deeply examines cotton as one of the natural fibres.
Cotton grows in protective capsule or boll around the cotton plant seeds. It is soft and fluffy. Cotton plant is native to both subtropical and tropical regions since it is a shrub. Cotton species are most diverse in Mexico, Australia Africa. Cotton fibre is mostly spun into thread or yarn, which is used in making soft and breathable textile. People started using cotton as early as the prehistoric times, and today, it has widespread usage as is mostly used natural fibre in cloth making. Currently 25 million tonnes of cotton are produced annually. The largest producer of cotton in the world is China, and most of its cotton is used domestically.
Cotton has numerous uses especially in the manufacture of textile products. The products include terrycloth, which is highly absorbent. Because of this property, terrycloth is used in bath towels. It is also used in robes. Another product of cotton is demin, which is used for blue jeans. Chambray is another common product from cotton and has been popularly used to manufacture the blue-work shirts. Other cotton products include cotton twill, seersucker, and corduroy. Human clothes like underwear, socks, and most T-shirts are all products of cotton. Other than the clothes described above, cotton is widely used in making yarn which is used in knitting and crotchet. Cotton is easily recycled, thus instead of throwing away the cotton pieces (wastes) during the cutting, weaving, and spinning process, they are collected and tailored into other uses.
Most fabrics are made wholly of cotton; however, cotton can also be used alongside other fibres. Other fibres which are blended with cotton are rayon and the synthetic fibres like polyester. Cotton can be used either in woven or knitted fabrics. This is because it is easily blended with elastine and can be made into stretcher threads which are used in knitted fabrics and apparels like stretch jeans. Other than the textile industry, cotton has other wide applications, some of which include the production of cotton paper, fishing nets, tents, gunpowder, among others.
Some cotton products are hydrophobic, i.e. do not easily absorb water. Such products include shiny cotton, which is a processed version of the fibre. Shiny cotton is made into clothes that resemble satin are used in making suits and t-shirts. Because of its hydrophobic property, shiny cotton is not fit for making both bath and dish towels although some people use it for this function.
The development of new and most improved techniques of producing quality cotton products at consumer friendly prices has been going on for some time now in the cotton industry. The industry constantly continues to improve the quality of the products and at the same time provide employment opportunities for people in the cotton related industries. Such opportunities include in the farm, all the way to the departmental stores where the final garments are sold. Dying of the fabric and the assembly of the products have provided employment to many.
With all these uses and the vast benefits, cotton has proved beyond any doubt that it is indeed the “white gold.”