What does 'fair to middlin' mean?

It originally started as a "weather report" in England. It was originally Worded, "fair to the midlands", with the midlands being the center part of England. Today, it has evolved to mean "somewhere between ok and average".

ANSWER:Its a term that comes from grades of cotton. Middling is the best grade. So if you asked someone HOWS YOUR DAY? They would often reply OH, BOUT FAIR TO MIDDLIN"' It means average or better.

In the early 1900's an elderly lady got on the bus everyday in Houston Texas and when the Bus Driver asked how she was doing, her answer was: "I have the fare to Midland so I'm doing okay". He then asked her every morning "fare to Midland?". And she would nod.

FROM A COTTON GROWER WHO ALSO INTERNED IN THE COTTON TRADE:

Under the old method of grading cotton, which was phased out in the 1970's, 80's, and 90's, cotton was given a name grade according to its quality. Each bale of cotton was sampled, and the samples (about 5" wide by 15" long by 3" thick) were graded by trained cotton classers. Those samples ranged (listed from best to worst) from fine to good to fair to middling to ordinary, with intermediate classes later added. So a "fair to middlin'" grade was okay but not particularly good. It was probably acceptable, but not what was truly desired. Those terms still exist in use in the cotton trade, although computer grading of samples and numerical grades have largely displaced them.

From a cottonpicker

A method of grading cotton quality by the length, strength and color of it's fibers. The grades highest to lowest are as follows; Strict High Middlin', High Middlin', Fair to Middlin', Low Middlin', and Strict Low Middlin'. From memory, the difference between a bale of Strict Low Middlin' would sell for twenty-eight cents per pound while a bale of Strict High Middlin' was worth thirty-five cents. Source: The Autobiography of Johnny Cash