Describe the cultivation, properties and uses of cotton.

How to lay out the answer. Follow the frame, then write it in your own words.

1 · Open in two lines. Cotton is a natural cellulosic seed-hair fibre from the Gossypium plant. It is the most widely used natural fibre in India.
2 · Draw the flow chart. [Flow chart: sowing → flowering → boll opens → picking → ginning → baling]
3 · Cultivation and processing.
- Long, warm, frost-free season, moderate rain, black cotton soil.
- Bolls open; hand picking in rounds.
- Ginning separates lint from seed; linters, oil and cake are by-products.
- Baling and grading by staple length and fineness.
4 · Draw the fibre. [Diagram: twisted ribbon with convolutions (length view) and kidney-shaped cross-section with lumen]
5 · Properties.
- Strong, and stronger when wet.
- Absorbent and cool.
- Low elasticity and resiliency, so it creases.
- Takes a hot iron; burns but does not melt.
- Resists alkali; harmed by acid and mildew.
6 · Uses. Saris, shirts, innerwear, towels, bedsheets, surgical cotton, bandages, canvas; khadi and handloom saris.
7 · Daily-life link. Best for kitchen aprons, hospital linen and baby clothes: absorbs sweat, can be boiled and does not melt.
8 · Close in one line. Comfort, washability and low cost keep cotton the backbone of Indian clothing.

Scoring tip: Two quick sketches (the flow chart and the fibre) lift this answer. Put properties in a two-column table to save time.