Cotton In My Sack

I have a confession. . .I have never picked cotton long enough to fill a 'pick sack'. . .or even get enough to feel the weight of it as the bag is pulled behind me. . .Chop cotton--yes--I've done my share of that. . .No picking it, though. . .

When I was growing up, we still used cotton pickers in the fields, along with a small mechanical picker. . .Every Fall we had people come in to pick. . .many from Mexico and spoke little English. . .That vision of pickers in the field comes to mind every year about this time. . .

Once during my Senior year in High School, we went to several fields to pick cotton. . .The farmers had given us certain areas to pick so that we could raffle off a bale of cotton for class money. . .A bale back then weighed about 500 pounds. . .A lot of cotton. . .There were only a few girls in the class. . .more guys. . .so some of us females talked the guys into pulling the long heavy bag, while we all picked. . .It was still hard, back-breaking work. . .But ever since, I've intended to actually pick at least half of a pick sack. . .

 The morning came when I had to make a decision to try my hand at cotton picking with a six foot long bag. . .It was early dawn as I walked out to the field behind our home. . .Cloudy. . .Threatening rain. .  .

I have to admit, it was a little daunting as I looked out over the fields, trying to put myself in the place of the pickers and what they must have felt looking at those acres and acres of cotton before them. . .I was lucky. . .I had a back-up. . .I was doing it for fun, too. . .not as a matter of survival. . .

In the early light, I headed for the field. . .with visions of my all time favorite book by Lois Lenski. . .thinking about all those tenants and sharecroppers of the past. . .

This is proof positive that I actually did pick. . .but you'll note, I'm sure, that there's not much in the sack. . .or off the rows. . .And then. . .it began to sprinkle. . .Time for breakfast. . .

After that little shower (which was NOTHING). . .the skies cleared. . .I thought I'd give it another try. . .if nothing else than to get some good photos. . .With the cleared skies and warmer morning, the wind decided to pick up. . .I was spending more time holding onto my hat than picking cotton. . .

And those endless rows of white were getting no shorter. . .

I DID get the pick sack somewhat stuffed. . .

This is where I have a second confession. . .In the end,

I was cutting whole limbs of cotton. . .for my 'plain and simple farmhouse decor'. . .

A pick sack fills up quickly that way. . .

I certainly did not regret the experience. . .but by 10:00 I was tired. . .the wind was hard to stand up in. . .the bolls were cutting my fingers. . .my back was hurting from bending over. . .and I was hungry. . .

Time to call in the RECRUITS. . .

Mr. Roy Gaines made quick work of my endless rows of cotton with his John Deere. . .

As I sat in my rocker on the porch drinking coffee and watching. . .

I counted my blessings that my days of picking cotton by hand were over. . .(grin)

 

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

Sharecropper and Tenant Agreements 1945

I found an amazing Special Arkansas Bulletin prepared by

 THE WILSON PLANTATION on July 20, 1945 about the

farming opportunities and the various offers to families interested in the share crop or land rental. 

It was written under the War Relocation Authority for the Japanese Americans, 

but I'm sure the opportunities would apply to others. 

I have often spoken about the sharecropper/tenant and the contract

made with the land owner, so I was thrilled to come across

this actual booklet which lines out the terms of the three types of contracts available.

There is some invaluable information about the farming industry of the

area in 1943-45 also.

Talk about local history!!!!!

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

 

Sharecroppers and Tenants

 

"I have land which you need, and you have muscle which I need. Let's put what we've got in the same pot and call it ours. . .I'll give you all the land you can work, a house to live in , and a garden plot and room to raise chickens, hogs, and cows if you can come by them, and all the wood you want to cut for fuel. . .I'll get you a doctor when you are sick. . .Until the crop comes in I'll try to keep you from going hungry and naked as far as I am able. . .I'll pay taxes and I'll furnish the mules and plows and gear and whatever else is necessary to make a crop. . . This is what I promise to do.

 

You will plant and cultivate and gather this crop as I direct. . .This is what you will promise to do. . . When the crop is picked, half of it will be mine and half of it yours. . .If I have supplied you with money or food or clothing or anything else during the year, I will charge it against your half of the crop. I shall handle the selling of the cotton and the cottonseed because I know more than you do about their value. . .If the price of cotton is good, we shall both make something. If it is bad, neither of us will make anything, but I will probably lose this place and you will lose nothing. . .It's a hard contract these hard times for both of us, but it's just and self-respecting and if we both do our part and have a little luck we can both prosper under it."

from the book LANTERNS ON THE LEVEE, William Alexander Percy

 

 

When Granddaddy Magers and family arrived at Dell in 1916, he had no more than $10 in his pocket but a big dream in his heart. . .By 1919, he had bought several large pieces of property--one at Roseland, one close to Victoria, and several parcels scattered around Mississippi County--as well as the entire First Addition to Dell. . .It didn't stop there. . .He continued to buy and sell for several more decades--until he owned some of the choicest land in the area. . .Granddaddy only had an 8th grade education, but when it came to buying real estate and farmland, he was a very smart businessman.

In the beginning years Granddaddy worked his land through sharecropping or tenancy. . .From what I've been told, he was fair to his farmers and his word was good. . .This wasn't always the case with others. . .The sharecropper rarely got out of debt to the land owners. . .and many a deal went foul.

Unfortunately, many farmers fell down the tenancy ladder rather than moving up it. From the bottom rung, the hapless sharecropper could climb to share tenant if he could accumulate enough of his own equipment and money. Share tenants kept two-thirds or three-fourths of the crop, depending on how much they could furnish. If a share tenant progressed to a point of needing nothing but the land, he could become a cash tenant by paying a fixed rental. Cash tenants kept all of the proceeds from the crop. . . It sounds good. . .but. . . many farmers lost their farms or their status as cash or share tenants because of crop failures, low cotton prices, laziness, ill health, poor management, exhaustion of the soil, excessive interest rates, or inability to compete with tenant labor. Many tricks of nature (drought, flood, insects, frost, hail, high winds, and plant diseases) could ruin a crop. . .Lots of heartache went into farming in those early years.

During the Depression, families were grateful to find land available for work. . .A house was included in most agreements. . .and they had the opportunity to grow a garden for food. . .In many ways, farmers faired better than those living in the city. . .At the very least on a farm there was the opportunity to feed the family with a garden and wild game. . .Families were closer. . .Lasting friendships were made. . .Everyone shared what they had. . .and LIFE WAS GOOD. . .in spite of the hardships.

1930s Sharecropper

We share this part of our Delta history with each and every visitor to the Farmstead. . .In fact, we just might have you pick a little cotton for us while you're here. . .Always looking for GOOD help. . .

. . .from the farmstead. . .