donnakmc Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 My mother, Helen (Watson) McCann and her little brother Gaylon Watson were in high cotton in their father's field in Panola County around 1937. Cotton farming in East Texas was declining during the Great Depression, but it wasn't easy for farmers to change something they had been doing all their lives. They were typical of subsistence dirt farmers in that they grew garden vegetables, raised pigs and beef cattle, had a milk cow, and worked the land with horses and mules. The cotton they grew and sold gave them just enough money to buy the the things they couldn't produce themselves - flour, sugar, salt, cornmeal, and basic working clothes and shoes. Their other main crop was field corn, but that was kept as animal feed in the corn crib in the barn. BTW, I think someone (maybe my mother, who was into colorizing) tried to colorize this picture at one time, because color photography was not at all widespread at the time. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Traces Posted January 27, 2023 Share Posted January 27, 2023 That is some pretty dang tall/high cotton. It doesn't seem to grow quite as tall as that in central Texas, probably on account of less rain. Nice photo and great comment! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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