e twist makes the cotton fiber suitable for spinning,
helping to hold the short fibers together.

7. Read of the cotton plant from _Textiles_, chapter ix.

8. The four chief cotton producing countries are the United States,
Egypt, India, Brazil.

9. There are several classifications of cotton. The most common are
Sea Island (in the lead); Egyptian (a close second); Uplands (that of
the United States, southern part); and Peruvian.

10. Uplands is the most common cotton of our South.

_Questions_

1. What characteristic causes the cotton fiber to be easily recognized
under the microscope?

2. Why does the twist render the cotton fiber suitable for spinning?

3. What are the characteristics of the cotton fiber?

4. Why is cotton known as a vegetable fiber?

5. Name the chief cotton producing countries.

6. What are the most common classifications of cotton?

7. What is the finest growth of cotton? (Sea Island commands at the
present time $1.00 a lb., while Middling Uplands brings 15 cents.)

8. Where is cotton known as Upland Cotton grown?

=Experiment 11--Silk Fiber=

Apparatus: Tripod, alcohol lamp, small pan of water, lead pencil.
Material: Silk cocoon.
Reference: _Textiles_, chapter xvii, page 203.

_Directions_

1. Place the cocoon in a small pan of water. Apply heat to the pan
until the water boils. The cocoon is placed in hot water to soften the
glue which holds the fibers together.

2. Remove the outside loose fibers which cannot be reeled. This
tangled silk on the outside of the cocoon is called _floss_.

3. Brush the finger over the cocoon to find the loose ends. Unwind
carefully until you find a continuous end. Wind or _reel_ the silk
fiber over a lead pencil.

4. The silk fiber is the most beautiful and perfect of all fibers.

5. Hold the cocoon to the light as you reel. How does the silk fiber
compare in fineness with the wool and cotton fibers?

6. The silk fiber is from 1000 to 4000 feet long. Unlike the other
fibers the silk fiber is already a thread.

7. How does light effect the silk fiber? When the gum is thoroughly
washed off the silk takes on its luster which is its chief
characteristic.

8. Break the fiber after you have reeled a small quantity. Notice how
the fiber springs back. Extend and release again. What characteristic
does this illustrate?

9. Examine the silk fiber under the microscope. Notice that it is
round and smooth and resembles a glass