Cotton Shirts for Men and Boys

1939

National Agricultural Library

U.S. Department of Agriculture

Farmers' Bulletin Number 1837

Both producers and consumers are interested in wise selection and effective use of American textiles. This bulletin gives the qualities to look for in buying men's and boys' shirts. They are not only an important item in a family's clothing budget but are also a garment for which cotton, the chief fiber grown in the United States, is preeminently suitable.

Shirts vary so little in style that most of the differences in quality are in the material, accuracy of cut, workmanship, and comfort of fit. These, then, are the points to check in order to assure satisfactory service.

Shirt Fabrics

The materials most commonly used for business shirts are broadcloth, oxford, madras, end-to-end madras, and a lightweight chambray. Percale is an in-between fabric, often chosen by office workers and by manual workers who may not require the ordinary type of work shirt.

Work-shirt materials should be strong and durable. They must be of a weight that is comfortable from the standpoint of warmth or coolness and of a texture suitable for the particular kind of work to be done. They should also be easy to wash clean. Some materials are difficult to wash free of dirt and so require a great deal of rubbing.