Item 15: Cultivating cotton, Dallas, Texas

Black-and-white image depicts a man handling a mule-drawn plow, banking up the cotton plants. Another man with a plow can be seen in the background. The first step in preparing the land for a cotton crop is by clearing away the litter. This is generally done by burning. After that the land is ploughed and harrowed. Once the ground has been seeded and plants begin to grow, they must be thinned out, leaving the strongest only. Then a plow is run between the ridges, throwing up the earth against the plants. This is banking up or bedding up and is what is seen here. Meadville, Pa.: Keystone View Company, ca. 1905. 17.75 x 8.75 cm.

Format: Stereoptic print.