How was the farmer paid for his cotton?
Cuts were made and cotton was pulled from both ends of the bale and then wrapped in brown paper. This “sample” was taken to a buyer and evaluated and compared to the cotton standards set by the United States government. The cotton in the sample was checked for cleanliness, uniformity of color, and also for the “length of the staple”. The buyer would pull off a piece of the cotton – stretch it out until it came apart. The longer the staple –the better quality of the cotton. Most of the cotton grown in the Burton area was “short stapled” cotton. The farmer would get paid so many cents per pound…..based on the above and the going rate.
