Today's cotton production on the South Plains barely resembles the
cotton culture of 100 years ago. When cotton first came to the South
Plains it was very labor intensive, with every stage of production
depending on large amounts of hand labor. The planting, cultivating, and
picking or pulling of cotton were all done by hand. Often, the harvested
cotton was transported to gins in wagons pulled by teams of horses or
mules. Today, due to the many improvements in the industry, most cotton
is grown without ever being touched by human hands. The story of cotton
on the South Plains is the story of continuous change, improvement, and
mechanization.