The presence of white specks in dyed yarn and cloth is a major problem to the Cotton Industry. We have approached this problem, as a collaborative research effort, by testing the hypothesis that drought stress is a potential cause for production of "dead fibers" attributed to the cause of white specks. Data for fiber and seed quality were obtained for cotton seeds exposed to severe drought during the period (generally from 30 to 50 days after anthesis- DAA) of secondary wall formation in lint fibers and food storage in the embryo. Analysis of data for lint fiber from cotton (Gossypium hirsutum, var. M-8) seed in open bolls after exposure to 25 days (35 to 50 DAA) of severe drought by water withholding revealed uniform immaturity of fiber based on measurements of circularity, cell wall area, micronaire and fiber mass. The lint fiber were apparently at the early stage of secondary wall deposition at the time of exposure to severe drought. Reduced dyeing of cotton fibers observed following the ruthenium red test indicated that these immature fibers may be a major source of white specks in woven yarn.