Ann Marie Collier, age 14, of Jackson, Miss., for her question:
WHERE DO WE GET OUR FIBER?
Fiber can come from animals, plants or minerals. Man weaves or knits all his cloth from fibers spun, or twisted, into thread. Factories use fibers to make string, rope, brushes, insulation and many other products.
The chief animal fibers are wool and silk. Wool is the fiber sheared from the coats of sheep. Silk fibers come from cocoons spun by silkworms.
The hair of cattle, hogs, horses and other animals provides useful fibers. Hair fibers also come from llamas, vicunas, guanacos, cashmere goats and rabbits.
Vegetable fibers come from the seeds, bark, leaves, fruits, nuts, stems or stalks of plants. Cotton ranks as the most widely used of all vegetable fibers.
The only natural mineral fiber used by man is asbestos. It comes from several kinds of mineral rocks that easily can be separated into long white fibers. Manufacturers use asbestos to make many kinds of fireproof products, such as insulation, shingles and brake linings.
Scientists have developed chemical processes to make many kinds of useful fibers, called synthetic fibers. They often have qualities superior to those in natural fibers.
Some synthetic fibers may be stronger, more elastic and more resistant to abrasion, heat and rotting than natural fibers. Some even look and feel like natural wool and fur.
Ail cellulosic fibers, such as rayon, acetate and Arnei, are made from cellulose obtained from wood pulp and cotton. A wide variety of clothing and household fabrics is made from cellulosic fabrics.
Fiberglass is a synthetic mineral fiber made from sand, limestone and soda, the same materials that go into ordinary glass. Many industries use fabrics woven from fiberglass, because it resists damage from fire, acid, rot and heat.
Some metals, such as aluminum, gold and silver, can be made into a film used for cloth.
Nylon is a synthetic resin fiber made from coal, natural gas, petroleum, agricultural by products, air and water. Its strength and resilience make it an ideal material for parachutes, hosiery, lingerie, tires and carpets.
Orlon, Acrilon, Dynei, Creslan, Verei, Darvan and Zefran are synthetic resin fibers made from coal, air, water and limestone. When woven, they have many of the qualities of wool and are used mostly for clothing.
Dacron, Kodel and Teron are fibers made from coal, air, water and petroleum.
Saran or Velon, made from petroleum and brine, go into drapery and upholstery materials, shoe fabrics and industrial cloth.
Vinyon, produced from soft coal and brine, is used in industrial fabrics and elastic garments.