Someone asked what was done with the cotton left in the fields and another responded that it was plowed under. When cotton was hand picked, there were two pickings because it all didn't open at the same time and if you waited until it all opened, some would fall out of the bolls and get dirty or lost. The second time around was often "pulling bolls" because it was knotty and too hard to get the cotton out. Pulling bolls didn't pay as much because it was faster. It was, however, harder on the hands. We wore gloves, sometimes with the finger tips cut out.