17th March 2017
At a busy crossroads of Enterprise in Alabama State in the US stands the world’s first monument in honour of a pest. The Boll Weevil Monument recognizes the contribution of the boll weevil beetles in the State’s agriculture.
23rd September 2016
Cotton gets its name from the Arabic word ‘qutun’, which means fine textile or fabric. Archaeologists have found samples of cotton fabric, as old as 7000 years, at the sites of ancient civilizations, such as Mohenjo Daro, Egypt, and Mexico. Nonetheless, it is difficult to determine the exact period or place when cotton was first used for fabric. Around 2500 BC, Indus Valley civilization had begun cultivating cotton. The oldest cotton balls, discovered in Mexican caves, date back to 5500 BC. Cotton cloths have also been found in graves at ancient burial sites during certain excavations.
3rd June 2016
Since ancient times cotton was spun in India with matchless skill. It is said that the delicate cotton from India was worn by Roman emperors who referred to it as ‘woven wind’. Mughal emperors fondly called the cotton ‘morning dew’ and ‘running water’.