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Show COTTON PICKING PAYS. The occupation ' of picking cotton, once despised by the white man as a form of endeavor beneath his dignity, is no longer rated as humiliating labor. On the contrary, it lias acquired many of the attributes- of the art of high finance. fi-nance. In the Texas cotton fields families are making from $40 to $60 a day, depending de-pending upon the size of the family. Not many years ago pickers were satisfied sat-isfied with 75 cents the hundred pounds. Now they receive $3 the hundred hun-dred and many pickers easily gather from 400 to 500 pounds daily. It is not unusual for mere children to pick 300 pounds a day. Even at these rates, farmers aro unable to get sufficient help and are scouring the whole state of Texas for families. In former times the work of picking cotton was left to the negroes and Mexicans. But this year, on account of the alluring compensation, and the shortage of labor, thousands of white families are working the fields. vYith tho meager supply of labor now available, avail-able, it is estimated that it will require more than two months before the Texas crop can le harvested. "With the negroes cotton-picking time is a season of outdoor frolic. They seem to take naturally to the work. As soon as tho cotton bolls begin to open the negroes flock to the country by the thousands from the cities and towns and remain until they are surfeited sur-feited with enjoyment and havo a plethora of money. In nearly every community of the cotton-growing states, negro preachers tako advantago of the temporary prosperity of members mem-bers of their race to hold camp meetings, meet-ings, at which collections are taken up for the benefit of tho clergy and to carry the church work over. Recently a nationwide call -was issued is-sued for GO. 000 cotton pickers in western west-ern Texas, but the appeal met with disappointing dis-appointing response. It is reported practically impossible to obtain Mexican Mex-ican laborers from Eio Grande border points, and it is estimated that of a probable 2,800,000-bale crop of cotton for Texas this year, 1,000,000 bales remain re-main to be picked. |