Congregating At The Gin
Ovid Vickers
Decatur, Miss.
There were certain cardinal sins that one did not commit while picking cotton. Running in the field was strictly forbidden. Running knocked the cotton off the stalk. Sitting on another person's cotton sheet, or even being close to someone else's sheet, was frowned upon. Cotton pickers were always ready to believe that someone was attempting to steal cotton from their sheets.
Another sin was letting the ants get on the baby. Somewhere in the shade at the edge of the field, a blanket was spread for the baby, and one of the older children was assigned the task of watching the baby. The baby would often have sweet crackers, which attracted ants of all shapes, sizes and colors.
The great belts and wheels of community cotton gins have been silenced forever. Across the landscape a few of the rusting tin buildings that once housed gins are occasionally seen. The era of farming in the South when small farmers raised cotton and picked it by hand has passed, but there are those of my generation who remember it well.
source : cottonfarming
Ovid Vickers
Decatur, Miss.
There were certain cardinal sins that one did not commit while picking cotton. Running in the field was strictly forbidden. Running knocked the cotton off the stalk. Sitting on another person's cotton sheet, or even being close to someone else's sheet, was frowned upon. Cotton pickers were always ready to believe that someone was attempting to steal cotton from their sheets.
Another sin was letting the ants get on the baby. Somewhere in the shade at the edge of the field, a blanket was spread for the baby, and one of the older children was assigned the task of watching the baby. The baby would often have sweet crackers, which attracted ants of all shapes, sizes and colors.
The great belts and wheels of community cotton gins have been silenced forever. Across the landscape a few of the rusting tin buildings that once housed gins are occasionally seen. The era of farming in the South when small farmers raised cotton and picked it by hand has passed, but there are those of my generation who remember it well.
source : cottonfarming
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