Slave Life in Georgia - African American History

Slave Life in Georgia 90
and which would, unless killed, commit great havoc in the growing season.
These worms are large, thick creatures, that burrow in the ground till springtime,
when they come out
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and nip off the young plants quite close. When we see them we tear them in
two.
In March, the ground, having lain fallow during the winter, is ridged by
throwing three furrows into one ridge, in which state it is left until April, when
the ridge is split by a small plough, and the cotton seed sown by hand in the
drill. The ridges are four feet apart, and a man used to sowing, can cast the seed
to a distance of from five to eight feet straight before him. He is followed by a
harrowing party, the harrow having two teeth. These rake the earth over the seed
in the drill, whilst the hinder part of the harrow smoothesit over. In five or six
days, in open weather, the seed generally shews itself, and when it has come up
a little strong, it is chopped out with the hoe, in spaces from ten to twelve inches
apart; ten or a dozen stalks being left in each bunch. A small plough, called the
bull-tongued plough, is then run along up one side of the drills and down the
other, so as to fill up the hoe-holes, and cover the crab-grass. The latter soon
springs again, and is very trouble-some to keep under. When it shews, the
people go round with heavy hoes to scrape it down, and trim off the young
grass. It is then ploughed again with the bull-tongued plough, to break
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what are called the "baulks," or hard ground, between the drills, as the ground
must be kept open to admit moisture and air, without which the young plants
would shrivel up and die.
The cotton plant does not begin to grow very fast until the roots strike the subsoil,
which they do in about three weeks or a month. Meanwhile, all hands--
men, women, and children--have to thin out the plants by hand-picking, a most
painful process, because of the constant stooping. They are compelled to go
across a thirty, forty, or fifty acre field without straightening themselves one
minute, and with the burning sun striking their head and back, and the heat
reflected upwards from the soil into their faces. It will take a good hand, from
an hour to an hour and a half, to handpick such a row. The next thing done is to
hoe up the ground close to the roots, and hoe out the grass and weeds. The
24.03.2006