Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1882-11-02
COTTON PICKING TIME.
A Phrase Full of Meaning 10 the
Southern DRrky.

A Phrase Full of Meaning 10 the
Southern DRrky.
What world Of meaning the three
words, cotton picking time" has fol-
the cOlOred people-and the white
folks, too, for that matter. The burst
ing Of the blossoms, the formation Of
the tiny squares and the appearance
OF the bolls, all are eras in the exist.
enee OF the country darky; but with
the bursting Of the boil, displaying It's
hidden treasure of fleecy cotton, the
enthusiasm spreads and the town darky
becomes injected. The symptoms arc
not easily mistaken. As soon as il is
certain that the yield WILDE large, the
country darky grows extravaeant
while his city cousin becomes careless
OF his duties, and when chided with
his n glect murmurs something
about cotton being SO much
hundred, and begging to
be picked. Many of the high digpi.
taries of the barber shops, hotels and
up town Offices successfully fight off
the desire to leave for the cotton
fields, probably on account of the fear
that their compilations may be spoiled
or that some of their society polish
may be rubbed off by contact with
field hands-a set, by the way, who
are looked upon with lofty disdain
blythe class mentioned. In the kitchen
and laundry, however, the longing for
the cotton patch is not 80 easily over
come. When the season opens the
cook is calm, and when cotton is worth
six bits hundred she becomes dis.
satisfied. When it rises ten cents she
grows independent, and when it
ascends another dime the kitchen is
entirely too small for her majesty, who
stalks out some day, leaving the
"Missis" to prepare dinner for com.
pany as we'll as her disordered state of
mind will allow. The housemaid is not
far behind her, and smashes something
each time the news reaches her that
prices have gone up. The culmiua-
tlon Is usually some choice sass a
broken mirror or some shattered
china, and the lady of the house must
learn how to handle the broom and
busting brush. Somebody may have
wondered where all the bootblacks 90
about this time. 1t is easier to
answer than like question about the
flies or mosquitoes. They have gone
or they are going to the country.
Every one, or nearly every one, of
these bootblacks have parent some.
where, Oltener a mother than a
father, whom they follow to the fields.
Hundreds of negro cabins about the
suburbs of the city are deserted.
Their late occupants bundled up all
their wares some days ago, hired a
wagon and moved to the country.
The biggest children are taken along
to help gil the parent basket. and the
next biggest must go to "nuss"
the smallest. Arrived at the
cotton patch, the baby is deposited
with big basket at one end of the
rows, and as the mother picks down
and back she stops few moments to
nurse the child, while she sits on the
top ofa cotton hill, or else deposits it
in the basket on the first lapful of
cotton, spanks the elder brother or
sister for not mindin' it properly, and
leaves for another round. The sun is
eagerly watched until it reaches the
meridian, and then the head darky's
horn puts a stop to all this busy work
as if by magic. A few, more indus
trious than the rest, wait until
the end Of row is reached, but most
Of the workers have their baskets on
their heads before the last echo of the
horn has died away in the distant
woodland. Then the weighing begins
aud every vibration of the beam is
watched.with intense interest. After
a delicious hour spent under
the shade Of some friendly persimmon
or stunted oak tree, the workers
again enter the field of the cloth of
white and bend to their work with
busy fingers. Sometimes it is a little
exciting when two of the boss" hands
both picking rows side by side at.
tempt to pass each er. Don't
you let dat niger pass you" is heard
from one partisan while another an
swers Like to see dc cullud pusson
what ole Gabe can't nick de eves
often" But the contest is always a
friendly one. The close is always her.
aided by cheer from the field and all
bend to their work again.
Many Of these darkies return to
town with a comfortable little store
Of money which with care would
suffice for their triAing wants for
months, but proyidenOe is no part Of
their nature and in few weeks after
their return they are perfectly willing
to 80 back to their comfortable quar-.
teTs 0t the once despised white