Cotton is a white fluffy substance like fibre. It is a product of the cotton plant and cotton herb.
Cotton requires a warm climate and a rich soil to grow in. It grows in North America, China, Egypt and in some parts of India. American and Egyptian cotton is better than Indian cotton because the former has long strands of fibre. In India, cotton grows plentifully in the Deccan.
There are two kinds of cotton. One is got from the cotton herb. The other is got from the cotton plant. The cotton herb grows from one to two feet in height. When the fruit ripens, it bursts. From it comes out the soft white thing. This is cotton.
The seeds of cotton are separated from cotton in mills with the help of machines. This is called 'ginning'. This cotton then goes to spinning mills. There it is drawn into cotton thread. It is called 'spinning'. This thread is then taken to weaving mills. There it is woven into cloth. Cotton is pressed and packed. This is exported to England, Japan and many other countries. Cloth and other cotton goods are made there. A large quantity of them comes to India. In India, there are many cotton mills. The state of Maharashtra has the largest number of cotton mills. Cotton mills are also located in West Bengal, Gujarat and Andhra Pradesh. Indian weavers make cloth at their own cottages too.
The cotton industry provides employment to a very large number of people all over the country. The numberof mills is gradually increasing in India.
