The cotton is now picked. The first thing is to separate it from its seed. This is done by a machine called a cotton-gin.
| FLAX IS A SMALL PLANT. |
Now it is ready to be pressed in great bales and sent to market. It will, at last, go to the cotton mills and be spun into thread, then woven into muslin, calico, etc.
Are the seeds of any use? They contain a great deal of oil, which is pressed out by machinery. What is the name of this oil? What use is made of it?
There is another plant from which clothing is made.
Do you know what plant linen is made from? Linen comes from the flax plant.
Flax is a small plant which grows two or three feet high, bearing on the top a bunch of pretty blue flowers. A field of flax in bloom is a very pretty sight.
The flax does not grow in a pod like cotton. The stalk of the plant is covered with a bark, or skin, containing fibers. These fibers are spun into thread, which is woven into a cloth called linen.
| A PLANT THAT YIELDS NO FOOD. |
The seeds are used for making an oil called linseed oil. For what is linseed oil used?