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Carpal Tunnel
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In a Kipling story, a young man boasts of raising cotton
in Africa:
"Rubber -nuts -gums -and so on," he said. "But our real future is cotton. I grew fifty acres of it last year in my District."
"My District!" said his father. "Hear him, Mummy!"
"I did though! I wish I could show you the sample. Some Manchester chaps said it was as good as any Sea Island cotton on the market."
Sea Island is a variety of cotton prized for its long fibres.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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cotton was cultivated in both the old world and the new world.
and in both 'worlds', there were some wonderful hybids. Sea island cotton is grown (primarily) on the sea islands along the atlantic coast--these extend from Georga/N Florida area right on up to Long Island.. (and to geologically, really, right up to cape cod, which is now a peninsula, but was once a barriar island.) -most of the barriar island spend time connecting to the main land, and then, being washed away again in winter storms, some, like coney island, and rockaway island, (in NYC) have become permentently connected to the main land.
sea island cotton is very similar to eygptian cotton.. a very smooth, very long fiber, and very strong fiber cotton, that can be spun very fine, so you can get thread counts of over 300 threads per square inch(only silk has finer fibers/threads)
sea island, is both a variety, (a specific type of cotton --sea island variety) and cotton grown on one of the several sea island (off the coast of NC) that are the original home to the variety.
unfortunately, the term sea island is used rather loosely and not all cotton labeled sea island cotton is really grown there.. and some cotton grown on the island is not the long staple length variety. (a more pressing concerns, is these islands, like hilton head, are being 'developed' as resorts communities, and many of the old farms are being put out of business.)
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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There is a great deal of cotton grown from south of Richmond all the way down to the barrier islands off North Carolina, just as of troy mentioned.
I have seen literally hundreds of cotton fields that are particularly beautiful in the early fall when the stems have turned deep chocolate-colored and the cotton balls are bright white in contrast.
My question, of troy, is what is it about the islands that would be conducive to producing this particular type of cotton that you have described? And would you expect this particular type of cotton to thrive as well inland--at least a few miles--in the South and even inland in the North as far as cotton will thrive?
And, while you're at it, what is it that Egyptian cotton requires to thrive? You've written before about Egyptian cotton and I did enjoy very much reading what you had to say about it then, but I don't remember your having gone into growing conditions ideal for that type of cotton.
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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i have't a clue why sea island(s) are better.. WAG's would include cool moist breezes (off shore breezed at night) which add moisture and help the plant 'fight stress', or just general level of humidity (i am guessing high humidity would be good, but could lead to mold of some sort, but sea island would have breezier air, providing humidity with out 'stale air', and so plants grow (as result of humidity) but don't fall prey to mildew..)
the same might be true of egypt.. (breezes help 'settle' egypt.. they tend to be southernly.. so with sails, boats could go down stream, and current (of the nile would move them upstream)--so the country (the settled part!) became long and narrow along the nile, but with an easy way to travel, it became one community/country.
The shore(NJ)/the beach(NY)--what ever its called(in VA and Carolinas--is a still a popular summer getaway. Most of the east coast has a pattern of cool moist breezes at sunrise/sunset, that make wonderful places that don't require A/C to be comfortable. (maybe cotton likes the weather too?)
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Joined: Sep 2001
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Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
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Maybe cotton does like that weather. I know that the horrible humidity in the Richmond, VA, area is what tobacco likes very much--and it is this very weather that causes people who never had an allergy problem to suddenly develop them when they move here--some kind of humidity factor that causes their sinuses to become horribly congested.
But Richmond's inland--and the weather here is not at all like beach weather. So I would think this sea island cotton wouldn't like Richmond's weather either.
Interesting to consider, isn't it?
Thanks, of troy, again, as usual.
Is treise duchas na oiliuint.
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Carpal Tunnel
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OP
Carpal Tunnel
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It is part of our cultural heritage.
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