HYGROSCOPIC • DICCIONARIO INGLES.COM • Definition of Hygroscopic

... hairs of the cotton plant are separated from the seeds by the process of ginning, and they then pass into commerce as raw cotton. In this condition the fibre is found to consist of the actual fibrous substance itself, containing, however, about 8 per cent. of hygroscopic or natural moisture, and 5 per cent. of impurities of various kinds, which vary in amount and in kind in various descriptions of cotton. In the process of manufacture into cotton cloths, and as the material passes through the operations of bleaching, ...

— The Dyeing of Cotton Fabrics - A Practical Handbook for the Dyer and Student • Franklin Beech