tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post918434664937258345..comments2024-03-28T18:32:05.933-04:00Comments on bensozia: Globalization, Bombay, and the US Civil WarJohnhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01037215533094998996noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8304928500646903522.post-30143135063800045752017-03-20T13:32:45.563-04:002017-03-20T13:32:45.563-04:00Fascinating stuff.
Random aside, I've always ...Fascinating stuff.<br /><br />Random aside, I've always found it weirdly serendipitous that the environments in which cotton grows best are the sorts of environments where you would want to wear cotton clothing over pretty much anything else.<br /><br />With wool it makes a certain degree of sense - you would expect animals like sheep that live in cold climates would evolve to have thick, warm fleece.<br /><br />But cotton plants don't rely on the fibrous coverings of their seeds to cope with the warmth and humidity. The primary purpose of cotton bolls is to aid in seed dispersal, similar to a dandelion. How curious, then, that unlike dandelions and other wind-dispersed plants, they would happen to develop a fiber with strong tensile strength which is able to be spun into yarn, and that the resulting cloth would be soft and breathable, rather than coarse and smothering like many other natural fibres.G. Verlorennoreply@blogger.com