Science: Rotproof Cotton

News of an amazingly tough new cotton came from New Orleans last week. Some cloth and thread were buried in a soil bed alive with fungi and other microorganisms. Ordinary cotton would have decayed within a week. This material, after six months to a year in the ground, was almost as good as new.

Developed by Department of Agriculture chemists, the new “acetylated” cotton looks like the ordinary variety but is chemically treated to increase resistance to rot and mildew. Promised: rotproof cotton awnings, tents, fish nets, food bags.