This boll is almost ready to open.
This boll is a little more open and it seemed to be looking right at me. Notice the 5 "locks" of cotton in the boll.
The photo of this boll is taken in profile, but it has only 4 locks. MH says all the bolls either have 4 or 5 locks.
The cotton plants are still loaded with bolls that haven't even begun to open. Here you see an open boll with 5 locks and several unopened bolls. MH says that once the defoliant is applied, the crop gets ready in a hurry.
Now this is what you call a pretty cotton crop! Thanks be to God for perfect weather, and thank you Johnny Dodson for your expertise as a farmer.
The crop dusters will be spraying the defoliants next and before you know it, the cotton pickers will be in the fields. I may miss the defoliating, and I hope so. The farmers and the Extension Agents assure everyone that the spraying isn’t harmful to humans, but I’ve always been very suspicious about it. It smells awful at the very least. MH and I rarely go on trips, but we are planning a little trip to South Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming; so I’m thinking maybe the defoliating will happen while I’m gone. It not, maybe I can catch a decent photo of a crop duster. At any rate, I’ll follow the cotton story to the end for those of you who live north of the Mason-Dixon line and have never seen a cotton crop up close and personal.
It has been over a week since I’ve touched base with you. The first part of last week I was swamped with responsibility regarding our library fundraising efforts, but later last week I got a nice break. A group of good friends gathered at my house and we spent the weekend sewing, embroidering, chatting, eating, and generally having a wonderful time. It was a welcome reprieve for me and my idea of a perfect weekend. Stitchers are just the best!
4 comments:
MIMI...so very very interesting. Amazing how such a 'sturdy' looking flower/plant can become such comfortable fiber and fabric. [or just plain ole cotton balls] Please do continue the story. I am loving it!! Karin
Thank you, Karin. My plans are to follow this story all the way to the gin. Looks like it will all be early this year. But I am hoping I miss out on the defoliating process. That is the only part that I don't like - and for a variety of reasons.
Carol: Is the harvest time for cotton a long time frame? When I was there last November, they were still picking. Does it hurt the cotton to sit in the fields, unpicked? When do boll worms strike? I'm thoroughly enjoying this thread!
Glad to hear your sewing weekend went well - you deserve a break and what could be better than sewing?
Kris - Thank you for your interest. I'll briefly answer these questions, but it also gives me the idea for a post talking about it in more detail. First, this will be an unusually early cotton harvest. Last year the summer was much cooler. This year we've had profound heat, which cotton thrives in. It also has to do with how early or late the cotton was planted and that is dependent on what the weather is like in the spring. Second, it is NOT good for the cotton to sit in the fields unpicked.
Third, we don't have boll weevils anymore. This pest was eliminated through the USDA's Boll Weevil Eradication program. When we did have them, they destroyed the bolls as they formed. Stay tuned for tonight and I'll go into more depth. You know I have to consult Mike, my expert. He worked in the cotton fields growing up, a most unpleasant job.
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