Cotton has short, flat fibers with a spiral twist, characteristics that give elasticity and the possibility of being spun into fine thread (Fig. 57). The quality of cotton materials depends on the strength of the fibers, the fineness or coarseness of the material, the weave, the color and design, and the adulterations.*

* In this discussion are frequent quotations, as indicated, from Some Points in Choosing Textiles, by Charlotte M. Gibbs (Baker), Univ. of III., Bull. 15. Acknowledgment is also made for valuable suggestions from The Study of Textiles, by Nellie Crooks in the Proceedings of the Lake Placid Conference on Home Economics, 1908, and from Hints on Choosing Textiles, by Bertha E. Titsworth, Bull. 45, in the Cornell Reading-Course for the Farm Home.