ABOUND THE YEAR WITH COTTON 169 



of mule labor per acre. 17 In the real Cotton Belt there is 

 a gin in every country town and at many country cross- 

 roads. The farmers draw their wagons up in a line and 

 wait their turn to drive under the suction pipe. During 

 the ginning season a great amount of time is spent wait- 

 ing on the gin, but for the busy farmer it is a time for 

 sociability and gossip with his neighbors. When his turn 

 comes the farmer drives under the shed and helps to move 

 the flexible suction pipe about over the loose cotton. In 

 a short time the fleece is sucked up. If he wants his seed 

 back, he drives around to a chute where it is poured into 

 the wagon. Very likely, however, he will sell the seed to 

 the ginner at current market prices. The bale is delivered 

 to the farmer at a cost ranging from $3.00 to $4.00 for 

 ginning, bagging, and ties. On the plantation and rented 

 farms tenants and landlords each pay for ginning their 

 share of the cotton. 



How the farmer sells his cotton depends on his tenure 

 status. Every southern town, large or small, has its quota 

 of cotton buyers. The different types of buyers found 

 are cotton factors, supply merchants, landlords, street 

 buyers, and buyers for cotton firms. "General Merchan- 

 dise and Cotton Buyer" is written on the signs of many 

 small commercial gentry of the Cotton Belt. The tenant 

 either lets the landlord sell his cotton or may sell to him 

 direct at current spot prices. The creditor may deliver 

 his cotton to the supply merchant and receive the bal- 

 ance after paying his debts. The farm owner has a wider 

 range of choice among the local buyers. The towns are 

 scenes of hectic activity during the picking season. Farm- 

 ers drive into town with wagons piled high with cotton 



17 Baker, op. cit., p. 37. 



