Agriculture

Agriculture. . Cotton and corn were the primary crops grown on the plantation. Plowing of the fields began in January, planting of crops in February and March, and cultivation shortly after the plants broke the surface., Cultivation involved thinning the plants into stands and removing grass and weeds. The corn harvest began in June or July and cotton in August. After picking, the cotton was processed in a mule-powered gin, which separated fiber from seed, and then packaged into bales weighing around 500 pounds each. The bales were hauled by wagon to the buyer who would pay the highest price per pound. By 1855, crops and other goods were ferried down the Brazos River and could be shipped from the opposite bank via the B.B. B. and C. railroad. Textile mills in the North and in Great Britain turned the ginned cotton into cloth., Cotton was grown for profit, and corn for consumption. Corn was milled and used to feed both people and animals. There were work animals - oxen, horses and mules and food animals - hogs and poultry, some, of which were raised for sale. Timber was cut from the property and sold for $2 per wagon load.