Cotton Fiber Length Distribution— An Important Quality Factor

Recent cotton processing studies conducted by Textile Research Institute have demonstrated that the presence of a large number of short fibers in cotton causes appre ciable increases in processing wastes, excessively uneven rovings and yarns, less efficient spinning, and weaker yarns than would otherwise be expected. The present paper outlines various methods of measuring fiber length distribution and of indicating ex cessive quantities of short fibers in the sample. Four case histories demonstrating the inferior quality of cottons containing excessive quantities of short fibers are described. These show the effects of improper drying prior to ginning, overprocessing during cleaning, and microbiological attack (cavitoma). In all cases the importance of fiber length distribution as a cotton quality factor is emphasized.