We youngsters would be paid by the day, but before I tell you how much, there are some other things you need to know.
Living out in the country was truly a blessing to poor parents who could not afford to have their children longing after the luxuries so readily available in “city” stores. Many communities had their own country store that sold necessities, but it was truly a unique experience to go into town to shop. I remember a “peddling” store making scheduled visits into our neighborhood when I was 5 or 6 years old, and it was from it that we bought many needed items. Mother could buy flour, sugar, salt, etc., and I remember her buying material with which to make dresses. The only nonessential that I recall buying from the peddler was bubble gum. Round, fat pieces of Double Bubble and long cylindrical pieces of “Baloney” (I’m not sure of the spelling) gum cost one penny each. Although we didn’t buy candy bars at that time, I know they were no more than a nickel a piece, and soda pops could also be bought for a nickel.
When I was eleven years old, my dad brought home a brand new beautiful Ford car for which he paid about $800.00. We were extremely proud of that new car, but I was aware of what a hardship it was for Dad to spend that much money, even for a car! So, when I tell you how much money we made for a whole day’s work in the cotton patch, just remember these figures and compare them with the costs of things today.
I seem to recall that I worked for anywhere between $1.50 and $2.75 a day. Farmers had to adjust what they paid their workers based on their predictions for the year and in keeping with the neighboring farmers. When his crops were poor, or some of his other enterprises (chickens, eggs, milk, beef or pork) were not making a good return on his investment, a farmer would not be able to hire help outside the family……he couldn’t afford to pay what his neighbors were paying. Survival for the family depended on everyone pitching in and helping to make it profitable…..
While in the cotton patch, we did much more than just hoe down unneeded cotton stalks and weeds. A lot of socializing went on. The older folks didn’t seem to know that you could keep an interesting conversation going and chop that cotton at the same time! Not a few times they would have to remind us of what they believed it took to do a good job. But, we learned a lot about each other, and I believe we learned to appreciate the differences in people and their various outlooks on life. We learned to disagree with others over religious ideas, moral values, and just plain old every day stuff like what shape that group of white fluffy clouds up there formed!
It was in the cotton patch that I learned not to talk about people! There was a little elderly couple in our neighborhood who was somewhat “odd”. Why the woman (so I was told) even powdered her face with flour, and I found it unbelievable and extremely amusing that anyone would do such a thing. One day in the cotton patch, however, I was discussing this strange behavior with a cousin, who kept acting rather silly. She finally made me understand that I should be quiet. Some of the other workers in the field were related to this poor couple that I had so maligned with my gossip! Needless to say, I have recalled that incident many times over, and the embarrassment and shame that I felt in my young conscience.
Studying our natural surroundings was a constant pastime while we worked. Ours was a beautiful world, and we were out in the open observing so much. There were little critters everywhere, many of them doing their God-given tasks of pollinating the plants, of aerating the soil and increasing the wonder in the children.
This is the third in a series of articles by a grandmother who wants her grandchildren to know who she really is and why she believes in some things that may seem archaic to them. Hers was a rich life with many merits that only those who experienced such can truly understand.