Porter osborne jr. Is a precocious, sensitive, and rambunctious boy trying to make it through adolescence during the depression years. On a red-clay farm in georgia he learns all there is to know about cotton chopping, h...Porter osborne jr. Is a precocious, sensitive, and rambunctious boy trying to make it through adolescence during the depression years. On a red-clay farm in georgia he learns all there is to know about cotton chopping, hog killing, watermelon thumping, and mule handling.