THE PHOSPHORUS CONTENT OF COTTON

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Abstract
A rapid, sedimetric method is described for the estimation of phosphorus in cotton, trustworthy results being obtained with about ono-tenth of a gram of material. The method has been applied to a large variety of trade cottons and it is shown that Egyptian growths consistently contain about twice as much phosphorus as American: these varieties may be distinguished with certainty by their phosphorus contents. The environment of the plant has a definite effect on the phosphorus content of the cotton, but not sufficient to cause confusion between Egyptian and American types. The method has also been applied in an examination of cotton during various stages in the manufacturing processes. For example, whereas samples of raw cotton from the bale are irregular in phosphorus content, they show uniformity at any stage subsequent to carding. A high phosphorus content is apparently a property of the shorter, cotton hairs; thus comber waste contains more phosphorus than the corresponding combed sliver, but no such significant difference is found between flat strips from the carding engine and the carded sliver.

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