Yeah, those bolls get hard as a pecan shell and stick right in the cuticle or under the finger nail when you try to pluck the cotton out. Fortunately, hardly anyone picks cotton by hand anymore.
I am sure Florida is not a top cotton producer but when I was a kid, I picked cotton for 3 cents a pound. I used to work with a younger guy who grew up in Texas and he picked cotton as a kid too.
The main difference is he said they picked the boll and all.
We had to pick the cotton out of the boll and those bolls would prick your fingers or at least irritate them after they had opened and dried.
BTW, there is a large cotton field not far from where I am at right now in NW Florida.
Yeah, those bolls get hard as a pecan shell and stick right in the cuticle or under the finger nail when you try to pluck the cotton out. Fortunately, hardly anyone picks cotton by hand anymore.