ABSTRACT
The terms food and fiber are often linked in references to agriculture. Without fibers — plant and animal — there is doubt that human societies could have advanced much beyond the paleolithic mode. Plant fibers are often grouped into four classes: textile and fabric fibers; cordage fibers; brush and braiding fibers; and filling fibers. Textile fibers of vegetable origin remain very important in world commerce in spite of recent inroads from petroleum-based synthetics. Cotton is the most important textile fiber offered on world markets today, with modern production per year amounting to between 70 and 80 million bales of about 218 kg each. Flax is believed to be the most ancient of domesticated fiber crops, with cultivation of the plant dating from neolithic times. Hemp was the first important cordage fiber of the Old World.
