Talk:Cotton

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Cotton is within the scope of WikiProject Plants, an attempt to better organize information in articles related to plants and botany. For more information, visit the project page.
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Contents

[edit] Layout

Someones messed up the layout at the top. :S —Preceding unsigned comment added by 172.143.64.207 (talk) 15:56, 4 October 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Picture problem

I can't see the picture on the top of the page. I don't know how to fix it. Rmhermen 14:56, Oct 15, 2003 (UTC)

It works from my school and at the local public library. - user:zanimum

[edit] GM cotton Australia

From recent newspaper accounts I doubt that this prediction for GM cotton in Australia came true. Does anyone have details on the actual current extant of GM cotton there? I added the old text but I haven't found recent details on cotton, only on canola, wheat, etc. Rmhermen 16:19, Apr 1, 2004 (UTC)

[edit] Pesticide drift

Re: Photo documentation and commentary on collateral damage to the environment from cotton spraying This problem is not specific to cotton. Wouldn't this link be more appropriate in an article on pesticides or pesticide drift? H2O 02:11, 18 Jul 2004 (UTC)

I removed this link as it really doesn't belong in this article. H2O 06:48, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

YES, this is an important part of a cotton article; cotton consumes up to 50% of the world's pesticides, and in so doing kille the poor farmers who harvest it. It also kills people by drinking up so much water, so it is called a 'killer weed'.

[edit] Old/New Dichotomy

Why does it say old world and new world? why not europe and the americas? Old and New world dichotomies are based on colonial understandings of these spaces and is in no way educational in terms of the topic. Stating the geographical regions instead of implying one is old or new is both more correct and doesn't privledge one place or another. 10:05, Apr 22, 2005


[edit] Sugar cane and cotton

I have always assumed that sugar cane farming was what consumed most of the slave labour. This was from my high school history. From this article, it seems cotton was the major slave labour consumer.

The never-ending fields of fluff are said to have created more wealth, and more misery throughout history than almost any other legal crop. [1]

Depends on what country. Sugar cane was more important in the Caribbean and South America than in the U.S. Rmhermen 17:01, 27 February 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Natural environments suited to cotton

Why types of natural environments are best for cotton production? River valleys? Mountains?

--Jeffrey Henning 03:28, 3 January 2006 (UTC)

That's an interesting question. The fact is that cotton's native environment does not lend itself to high production which requires mechanization. I think it originated along the coast in a tropical environment. Cotton is naturally a perennial, so if there is no freeze it will keep growing and get so tall it is almost like a small tree. A good environment for growing cotton commercially is a warm spring, a hot summer, plenty of rainfall, and a good hard freeze at the end of the growing season. Flat ground and deep soils with good water holding capacity. Last year they had excellent rainfall around Lubbock and the dryland cotton did exceptionally well. But in many years this is not the case. It always comes down to water. H2O 06:42, 26 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Harvest season

OK, I know this is kind of random, but does anyone know during which season cotton is harvested?--Rockero 05:46, 19 February 2006 (UTC)

In Texas its fall. Starts in late Sept/Nov and ends in late Dec/early Jan. Anything else you would like to know? pschemp | talk 06:06, 19 February 2006 (UTC)
Thank you, and thanks for asking. Etymology would be nice. Its categorized as an Arabic word, which I have no reason to doubt since in Spanish it's "algodón", but generally, a category is only merited if it logically follows from the content of the article. If you don't mind.--Rockero 02:28, 27 February 2006 (UTC)
Etymology added.pschemp | talk 18:34, 4 March 2006 (UTC)

can anyone tell me a website that shows you like how cotton is grown in a field then taken into mills and made into yarn , etc ?

Like textile manufacturing#Cotton? Loggie (talk) 10:08, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Polyester vs Cotton

Which material makes stronger and tougher clothing? Zachorious 09:16, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

Polyester, generally, has higher strength, but high-quality cotton will often last longer when appropriate care is taken before it looks old and tired. Polyester is widely shunned in favor of cotton because of the former's inability to breathe and consequently polyester is less hygienic, more condusive to bacterial grownth under normal wearing conditions. But cotton will decay if left wet for long periods. There's no easy answer, though I prefer cotton (and other natural fibers) myself. Hajhouse 18:45, 13 March 2006 (UTC)
The answer is, it depends. It depends on the quality of both fibers, the blends, the spinning methods, the type of weave or knit, the finish on the fabric and the particular end use. You can't generalise. pschemp | talk 18:32, 14 March 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "Negro" used to describe people in photo

Pollinator, I'm still concerned about describing the people in that picture as "Negroes". Yes, the term was more acceptable in the 1890s, and like I implied in my edit summaries, I have no trouble quoting people of that time using the word "Negro". But when we put a caption on a picture, that's us, today in 2006, choosing words. So we should choose them according to our own standards. --Allen 05:24, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

Actually I would also prefer your usage. But this is history, and imposing modern political correctness is revisionism. There are a lot of things we wish we could change in history, but that's not possible, and we do a disservice to simply rewrite it.

Pollinator 05:27, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't see how I'm proposing to rewrite history. If I describe the past in my own language, I'm not implying that my language was used in the past. I might say that the ancient Egyptians built the pyramids, but I wouldn't expect a pyramid worker to have identified as an "ancient Egyptian". --Allen 05:52, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

Pollinator, I have checked the following Wikipedia articles relating to black Americans who were alive when "Negro" was considered an acceptable term:

None of these articles use the word "Negro" except in quotes, names of organizations, and titles. I don't think it should be used in Cotton, either. Thank you for responding to my original post above, but please respond again in more detail. The use of "Negro" in this article is a serious concern for me. --Allen 20:52, 18 March 2006 (UTC)

Pollinator, since you haven't responded I'm changing the wording in the caption again. If you still feel that the word "Negro" should be used in the caption, please discuss your thinking here. --Allen 00:33, 20 March 2006 (UTC)
Why is it necessary (for this article at least) to say what color the people are who are picking cotton in the photo? My understanding is that this is a general article about the cotton plant, not race relations. Why not just say "Picking Cotton in Oklahoma in the 1890s"? My white mother picked cotton and my wife's white Okie grandparents picked cotton. I myself sprayed herbicides and hoed weeds in the cotton fields as a teenager alongside Mexican-American laborers (or should I say Latino, Hispanic, who knows what is the right PC word these days?) The distinction might be relevant for an article on post civil war share-cropping, but I don't see the point of the caption at least in this article. It is just a distraction from the article, in my opinion. H2O 04:23, 20 March 2006 (UTC)
In the current context of the article, I agree with you; there's no need to mention race here at all. I'll change the caption again. I don't think an article on "Cotton" needs to be strictly biological; I think it could include more information about race relations and cottonpicking... but I agree that it would be even better for that information to be in separate articles. --Allen 11:54, 20 March 2006 (UTC)
i would best describe cotton pickers as an african american as myself i do not like the terms used nigger or negro it makes me so angry to hear those words so do many other african americans so please who ever wrote this articlce just get rid of that negro talk because im getting mad. (posted by 209.80.150.106)
Cotton has certainly caused a lot of suffering. However consider that without it African Americans would not have had as important a role in American and world history as they have. Wishing you the best. Steve Dufour 02:35, 17 October 2006 (UTC)
Why can't the photo just have a caption along the lines of "Harvesting cotton, 1880's". It isn't necessary to specify the ethnicity of the workers any more than it's necessary to specify the name of the farm or the time of day the photo was taken. Rusty2005 12:21, 17 October 2006 (UTC)
This seems to have been done. Steve Dufour 02:53, 19 October 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Style problem

Hi, the sentence beginning "This program," in the second paragraph of "Production and Processing," needs to be fixed (and I can't do it myself).

[edit] Cotton photo

Hello, fellow ag types! FYI - there are some great public domain photos to be found at NRCS Photo Gallery. This is just one of several I have found. H2O 00:53, 8 April 2006 (UTC)

This one is already listed at Wikipedia:Public domain image resources. You can find other similar sites also on that list. Rmhermen 16:31, 11 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cotton Grown on Every Continent?

The article claims that cotton is grown on every continent. Really? They grow cotton in Antarctica? Are you sure? I've changed it so it makes clear that cotton is not grown in Antarctica. Sixtus LXVI 05:36, 8 July 2006 (UTC)

Regarding your question, Actually Cotton doesn't grow in Cold weather which means Cotton grows in Warm country. Yes, You are right. Daniel's page ☎ 22:39, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Red Link.

I deleted the rink that was in Egyptian Cotton section, because it appeared as red link. Therefore, I changed 'Egyptian Cotton' into Egyptian Cotton from red link. Daniel's page ☎ 22:46, 16 August 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Version 0.5 review

I'd like to have included this important topic in version 0.5, but I think the article needs too much work. Other than the obvious lack of citations, I think many sections are too short, such as:

  • The cotton plant deserves more than a short two sentences
  • The cotton industry and things like weaving/mills are not covered well except in the history section
  • I think there should be more on pests
  • The chemical and physical properties of cotton would be interesting to include

Walkerma 04:12, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

Please note that cotton plant is a separate article: Gossypium. Rmhermen 16:51, 19 September 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Critical Temperatures

I think that the glow point is actually (or also) the flash point. I am not sure and cannot find any verification or standard for these terms. Someone more familiar with ignition temperatures needs to review this information. The values should be correct, but the terms are translated from German and could be incorrect.

[edit] Wet Cotton

It should mention what wet cotton is.

[edit] cotton weights

Can anyone explain cotton weights? For example, when a retailer advertises "800-gram-weight" towels, what does this mean? Eight hundred grams per what? What is the range of weights available? How is the weight increased, i.e. with thicker threads or more strands or a different weave or what? A quick web search revealed nothing on this subject.

Thanks very much.

Celebes Sea

[edit] Production by Nation

I think it might be a good idea to include a table/graph of raw cotton production by nation. Perhaps this is something to look at? 35.11.183.95 08:28, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cotton was or was not mentioned in Rigveda

The article Cotton#History says there are several references to cotton in Rigveda ; where as details at Items_not_in_the_Rigveda this article says no mention of cotton in Rigveda.This difference needs to be explained in both the articles. Mahitgar 10:04, 28 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] 1738 Lewis Paul and John Wyatt

I have added the following taken from Science and Invention in Birmingham.

'1738: Lewis Paul and John Wyatt, of Birmingham, patented the Roller Spinning machine and the flyer-and-bobbin system, for drawing cotton to a more even thickness, using two sets of rollers that travelled at different speeds. This principle was the basis of Richard Arkwright later water frame, used in the many successful cotton spinning mill of the Industrial Revolution.'

[edit] The France Zone of Africa

Can someone explain what nations are in this zone and where it is in Africa. I also think that the article should be change to something like "the France zone of Africa which includes...."

Thanks...

[edit] cotton picking pictures

I am currently working on the Australian 07 picking season i have been taking a few pictures for souvenirs because thins is my first cotton season if anyone would like some more pictures to improve the article. i understand there are a lot already but some of the USDA pictures are a bit dodgy. below is a pic i took today this is the sort of quality i cant take. Cheers Beaver 04:50, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

Also the picker loads into a boll buggy not the module builder. cheers again Beaver 04:56, 28 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Egyptian Cotton

Does anyone have any gorgeous pictures of egyptian cotton growing on a plant. I saw it being hand-picked on an ad for Egypt Tourism.

Also, does Egyptian cotton have low yeild per hectare, compared to cheaper cottons, is that why its expensive? —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Tri400 (talk • contribs) 04:35, 29 March 2007 (UTC).

Egyptian cotton is an introduced crop, primarily of the species indigenous to the Americas. It was introduced as late as the 19th century there by the British. In ancient times, the Egyptians made their clothing from linen, with a small quantity made from cotton imported from Mesopotamia. Tmangray (talk) 22:01, 15 May 2008 (UTC)

Tmangray is right. I'm an Egyptologist and would correct this myself but for some stupid reason this article is locked. So much for promoting accuracy on Wikipedia. If you can't even correct mistakes... --68.72.109.116 (talk) 23:25, 10 June 2008 (UTC)

The page is protected because of a spat of recent vandalism. However, I don't think the article is incorrect in its treatment of Egypt. Cotton was certainly grown in Egypt and Nubia in the Roman era, long before America was discovered. The modern production of cotton in Egypt is of the American type cotton but it is not clear whether the old cotton was of the African or the Asian type. Rmhermen (talk) 03:48, 11 June 2008 (UTC)

[edit] shrinking

nothing about shrinking or caring for cotton?

[edit] Very Informed Man

This see also link looks very strange:

One very well informed man of cotton is Dr. Rafiq Chaudhry and is head of the Technical Advisory Committee in Washington D.C

As true as it may be about Dr. Chaudhry's credentials, it is not a suitable title for a link as

  • It is too long
  • It does not say anything about the content of the page being linked to (Cost of cotton production globally)
  • Gives no evidence of the claimed authority of this source

Can someone in the know modify this to something more suitable? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 217.34.75.65 (talk) 09:50, 24 April 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Origins, History

I had originally input text on the origin of cotton cultivation in Mexico 7000 years ago based on what now appears to me to be erroneous information from the reference I cited. I can guess how they made the error...other sources variously state 5000 BC or 5000 BP. More authoritative articles refer to approx. 5000 BP, evidence of cloth and cotton bolls from the Coxatlan Cave in the Tehuacan Valley. I expect this is a changing story, however, as archeology seems to keep pushing "new world" archeological dates back. Tmangray (talk) 22:06, 15 May 2008 (UTC)