The Birmingham age-herald., 1905-06-04


 occupation to so many people as cotton, except, perhaps journalism Certainly no product affords so much labor, nor is there any industry that holds up it's head so far back in history
 "Cotton" seems to be one of the first words man ever wrote or inscribed on parchment. Go into the ruins of buried civilization in Yucatan, so old that all we know of Egypt seems young in com parison, and there we find evidences of cotton. Cross the seas again and in Africa, on the oldest evidences of the ex- istence of man, read cotton.
 Pliny says that cotton garments were worn by the Egyptians over 1000 years before Christ. Livy says that Lucullus Spirittus invented awnings of cotton. Caesar is reported to have covered the Forum with cotton cloth. Every man. woman and child in every land where commerce reaches out wears cotton cloth in some form. 1t is an article which girdles the earth. Its history reads like a bit of fiction. Take a piece of cotton cloth, look at it and estimate how few things in this world have given you more w h1I gOo PANh5S AtANS N~N.J so tired that nothing else could perhaps arouse in you a single sensation of pleas ure, what is 1t that gives you gasp or delight at the moment when you sink into the soundest slumber? That pair of clean cotton sheets, is it not?
 Cotton Is the king of crops in the south- ern states, and 1t rules over the fortunes of 10 100000 or 12,000 GOO people engaged in the work and as many more persons
 
 Upon the success or failure of the cot ton crop depends the prosperity and financial standing of the majority of the people of at least five great states-Iexas, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Georgia.
 The most picturesque of the many in- teresting features of southern life and industry is the gathering of the crop. The scenes in the cotton fields will ai- ways furnish abundant material to the artist and the writer The subject af- lords A colossal field for study and the pen. Besides cotton picking Is one or the few forms of employment in which pleas ure and money making are easily com bined.
 The picking is done mostly by negroes men. women and children. The young neonle regard this picking time as kind of picnic while the old folks are glad of the opportunity to make money to carry them through the winter. Ihe southern negroes bring lightness ana good nature into their daily work. When a group of cotton pickers IS together laughing, testing or singing, time mes quickly The days work ends all too soon Picking usually begins in August about the middle to the latter part ot the month. It is all done by hand-the great innediment of the industry. There mas been no machine invented which DICKS cotton so successfully as do the hesroes'
 On large plantations the pickers are divided into squads. Each picker mas numbered basket, into when ne UT sHe dumps from the sack
 The boss" keeps tally or all the pas kets filled by each person. Each picker has a bag which is tied by strap over the shoulder, and with one arm and hand free he goes between the rows anu pulis inc cotton out of the bolls and puts 1t into the bag under the other arm. when the bag is filled it is dragged to the eho of the row and either lelt there oi dumped into a big basket.
 The amount of cotton picker can gather in a day varies, of course, ana denends upon expertness and also on tha kind of crop A light crop makes slow piclxing. The active, industrious niclser will gather 200 pounds Of cotton ln a day. Some cotton pickers nave gath- arpd a much as BO anu eNSA iNN FSN The pickers are paid by the huhureo hounds. The rate paid is from oo to 70 cents a hundred.
 The picturesque side of cotton picking is seen In the early morning hours, when inc sun is just rising out ot me pale saffron and rosy flush in the east; when the air Is fresh and cool, and when there is subdued quiet in the fields, broken only by the singing of birds. You see tha moving hgures-the quick, actlVe movements of the piekaninnies, the Del sartean poses and bendings Of strong limhed young men and women, the SLOW, easv movement of big, stout mamhy' nine in mouth. You see also plts oL coIor-here the dotted calico dress ana there a red waist. You hear scraps or conversation. loud laughter, and soon some one Is sure to start song Ana then YOU feel that cotton picking IS nleasure. for people do not sing when thev are unhappy. But all of this comes fro rnthe buoyant spirits and the pre- vaiIing good nature of the negroes. NO hardshtps or troubles seem to destroy or even check their levity and light heartedness. - A..
 The cotton picking season brings US own peculiar pleasures to the negro DICK ars When the days work Is done many of them spend half of the night in eating and drinking, singing and dancing.