Another sign that summer's winding down -- the tobacco's turning yellow and workers are cutting the plants and stringing them on to 'baccer sticks.
This is burley tobacco and the entire stalk will be air-dried hanging in a tobacco barn. (Unlike flue-cured in which only the leaves are harvested to be cured in gas-heated barns.)
There isn't much tobacco being grown around here, now that government doesn't support the prices. The small family patches, such as we used to grow, are pretty much gone. This patch was being harvested by Latino workers.
11 comments:
Really? I remember when it was a BIG thing in those parts.
I remember my grandmother tried growing some, once, without success. I believe my step-brother has had better results, though.
The government which does not support certain plants is also a problem over here and we are now in big trouble... certain plants are now growing where they are not supposed to grow.
Way back we had our allotment too, and although we sold it yearly to a friend, my boys would work for friends doing their baccer. They said they always enjoyed it, but I sure don't know how. Guess your idea of fun is different when you're in your teens! ha!
Still some tobacco fields here. Always interesting to hear from you on this. I remember the blog on tobacco barns. If you ever consider repeating, that was fascinating. Gave me 'new' eyes when I see the barns with 'missing' boards here. Now I know thanks to you.
It's not grown around our parts either anymore although we went to visit friends in Burnsville a couple of years ago and saw quite a bit of it there.
There are a few tobacco barns left here and it's so sad when they are torn down. It seems as if they are erasing history.
Sam
remember the tobacco fields of my youth...and worked a few...a dying crop....
I was fascinated by the 'baccer barns when we vacationed in that area years ago. Jim's grandpa grew tobacco and dried them from the rafters in his basement.
There are hot links in the post that take you to previous posts on tobacco growing and barns...
Tobacco is totally out of favour now that it's proved to be so very harmful. I'm glad I don't smoke.
My dad tried to grow tobacco for his pipe, it never worked.
Interesting...I like the idea of them just being air-dried rather than gas-heated. The fields look so lovely!
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