The New International Encyclopædia/Cotton, Artificial

COTTON, Artificial. A material made in Germany from the wood of the fir-tree, which is reduced to thin shavings. These are washed, then steamed for ten hours, after which they are treated with a strong solution of sodium lye and then heated under great pressure for thirty-six hours. The wood is then said to be changed to pure cellulose. To give the material greater resisting power, castor-oil and gelatin are added, after which it is ready to be spun into thread and reeled.