It's a class/status insult; someone so poor they had to pick cotton was regarded with disdain, particularly if a person of colour or a migrant worker.

My dad said "pea pickin" too. His family lost their farm in the depression and became share croppers. They had all done a lot of pickin'.

Now that's really going to the source. lol.

Cool pics. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for sharing.

I had not seen this until I moved to TN.

Thanks that's so neat

awesome. Thanks for sharing. I loved seeing the beginning of my quilts.

Thank you so much for sharing these photos, always have been curious.

Thanks for your pictures. I live only maybe two blocks from some of our cotton fields and I saw many bundles of picked cotton this year. I don't think there is a shortage of cotton for the mills.

Brings back a lot of memories. Cotton fields are one reason I got married at 15. Hated picking cotton, tolerated pulling cotton. Had a lot of fun as a kid playing in the cottonseed pile at the gin. Itchy fun, but fun nevertheless. Learned to drive at 7-1/2 on a big John Deere tractor.