The skins of animals made warm clothing for our early ancestors. There was no other material they could use. But in time people found that they could make certain threadlike fibers into cloth. Some of these fibers they got from animals. Some they got from plants. For thousands of years people have made linen cloth from fibers in the stem of the flax plant and cotton cloth from the fibers on cotton seeds. They have made woolen cloth from the wool of sheep and silk cloth from the fibers in the cocoon of the silkworm.
One by one other fibers came into use. Among the other plant fibers are jute, hemp, pineapple, kapok, sisal, and palm.
Among the other animals that furnish fibers are the camel, yak, alpaca, goat, rabbit, and horse. Besides, there are now many man-made, or artificial, fibers. They are manufactured from such things as coal, petroleum, wood, and milk. Rayon and nylon are two of the best known.
We use fibers for many things besides cloth. We make thread, twine, and paper of them. We weave them into carpets and rugs. They serve as bristles for brushes, and as stuffing for mattresses and upholstered furniture.
