How to Chop Cotton

Contributor

By premonitions
eHow Contributing Writer

Article Rating:

(4 Ratings)

In today’s society, there are machines that pull cotton from the roots. In the early years, however, cotton was chopped and picked by hand. Read on to learn how to chop cotton yourself.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Satchel
Hoe
Good shoes

Chop Cotton

Step 1

Pull the grass away from the root of the cotton. Make sure that the dirt is also pulled back using the hoe.
Step 2

Once the grass and dirt is securely pulled away, take the hoe and chop from the root.
Step 3

Continuing to pull from the root with the hoe, use the opposite hand to pull upward. Be careful not to prick your finger on the thorns.
Step 4

Taking the hoe once again, dig deeper into the ground to pull up the rest of the stalk.
Step 5

Holding the cotton in one hand, place the cotton into the satchel.
Step 6

Make sure there aren’t any bugs on the cotton.
Step 7

Step over the rows working your way down in parallel rows.
Step 8

Repeat Steps 1 through 7 with each row until you're finished--or until you have chopped enough to fill the satchel.