The Tacoma times. [volume] (Tacoma, Wash.) 1903-1949, 1939-11-15


the rounds OF their districts. Mules
can work longer and harder than
horses and are just as cheap 10 /
maintain. For the cotton picking 4
season no extra help Is brought In.
As fast as one section finishes /
picking over its district. II moves
on and helps out the next and 10 on.
The eottonsecd raised on this
plantation In the best In the world
and Is sold all over at the highest
prices. There are five cotton gins
on tho place and we saw hundreds
OF tons Of seed waiting for packing
and shipping. The seed from the
first picking liant be used for
planting because II In too moist.
nor can the seed be used after the
first frost for the same reason.
The seed sold for planting Is gin
ned in between those times. The
first picking and after the frost
seed are sent TO the oil plant and
pressed. after which II Is COM
pressed into kind OF cake mixed
with bran for stock feeding We
first ran across this cake up in
western Montana. II Is uses up
there during hard winters when
feed Is scarce, and for fattening
during the better years.
They were paying off the yearly
yield while We were there and the
little plantation town of Scott was
full OF Negroes waiting to collect
their share. A good share. too. In
certain parts OF the sooth II has
been n bad cotton year because OF
too much rain and boil weevil. but
on the Detail & Pine Land plants-
ton they have enjoyed one Of the
best seasons in years and tho pay
ments are unusually large. The
average yield Ia about one bale to
the acre, but this year IL was one
and a half. and managers and ten.
ants alike are happy.
The plantation Is practically
self-sustaining unit. The town Is
complete with its own water supply
from artesian wells and its own
sewage disposal. Electricity Is wired
in to a substation by large public
utility, from whence the plantation
takes IL over with its own system
Of wiring and distribution.
schools and Hospitals
There are regular schools scat
tered over the land and several
doctors and a hospital maintained
for the colored tenants. The hos
pital for the white workers L.
maintained by a small percentage
OF their wages.
There is never any difficulty In
keeping the tenant houses full. The
plantation Is famous for It's care
full supervision Of tenants. and the
agricultural Negroes OF the section
feel that they are taken care OF for
life II they once get on It's rolls.
They are. too. provided they don't
shirk their duties. The office has
on file a waiting list Of families
wanting 10 get In when another
family leaves. but one seldom
leaves. shirkcrs have no place In
the scheme Of things and through
the years they have been weeded
out until today all the tenants are
hardworking and willing and viil
20 the limit for their white super
visors.
A. the families grow they are
allowed 10 expand into more land
which. Of course. raises their own
profits. a boy Is considered os
workable age when he IL fourteen.
and n man when he reaches eight
cen. Al that time he In considered
strong enough 10 work a plot Of
five acres. Then he u given :
house. stock. seeds for a garden,
and from then on he Ia on his own
as long a. his work Is done
The white workers. mostly office
clerks and managers Of sections
have a separate section q to~n %
themselves long street. shaded
with huge live oak and pecan trees
and bordered BY modern and veil
kept white bungalows For thsss
they pay the company the rnunifi'
cent sum n $40 a month.
All IN ali the Delta A Pine Land
Co IL a magnificent place and Nas
ton biz for % 70 grasp the lfn.
mensity u the job II efficiently
running the lives q more Than
300 people