tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post6072023223049657016..comments2024-03-28T20:19:16.805-04:00Comments on Vicki Lane Mysteries: Gettin' Up the BaccerVicki Lanehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08114677510459055768noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post-38729127061194197202008-09-05T13:00:00.000-04:002008-09-05T13:00:00.000-04:00And let me add, this is burley tobacco -- the toba...And let me add, this is burley tobacco -- the tobacco they grow in the eastern part of the state is treated differently -- just the leaves are hung and it's 'flue-cured,' not air-cured.Vicki Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08114677510459055768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post-25078887412232706122008-09-05T12:57:00.000-04:002008-09-05T12:57:00.000-04:00Phyllis -- the big meals were only when we had fri...Phyllis -- the big meals were only when we had friends or neighbors helping -- if it was just us, we were eating PBJ too.<BR/><BR/>Tammy -- The tobacco plants have stalks as big around as your wrist. A cutter takes a tobacco stick ( about five feet long, maybe two inch diameter and pointed on both ends -- once they were hand split, now they're sawn), jabs it into the dirt by the plant, and tops it with a sharp-pointed metal cone called a 'spud.' <BR/><BR/>Then, using a light little hatchet type thing, he (or she) whacks off the plant near the ground, picks it up with both hands and jams it onto the stick, using the spud to pierce the stalk about eight inches from the cut. Four to six plants, depending on size are put one one stick. <BR/><BR/>Then another stick is jobbed into the ground; the spud is moved to it; and the whole process repeats. And repeats. And repeats.<BR/><BR/>We sometimes worked in pairs, one person cutting and one stringing the plants onto the stick but Real Men prefer to do the whole operation themselves -- it's faster that way (but much more tiring.)Vicki Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08114677510459055768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post-10049889606783029712008-09-05T09:26:00.000-04:002008-09-05T09:26:00.000-04:00Great post! I learned allot from reading it, and ...Great post! I learned allot from reading it, and find the process fascinating. 'baccer isn't grown here, so this tradition isn't something I'm used to seeing--around here it was always just hayin' or shucking the corn once it was in. How do they hang the individual bundles from the horizontal poles? I tried to biggify the pictures but still couldn't figure it out. I also love the poem and picture of the 'baccer farmer in the other post! ;-)<BR/>TammyTammyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02131066591477169851noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post-867543831343606862008-09-05T07:50:00.000-04:002008-09-05T07:50:00.000-04:00Ah, the memories... that rich aroma filled my head...Ah, the memories... that rich aroma filled my head just by looking at the pictures. Daddy always said that handing the sticks up to the first tier was the hardest job involved - it sure did cause some sore muscles the next day! We didn't have many of those good meals, though. Everyone was usually in the field, and we went in at meal time and had a peanut butter sandwich or a bowl of Campbell's soup. We drove by a pretty yellow field of tobacco the other day, and my daughter didn't even know what it was. Times sure have changed...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post-84835246691584435652008-09-05T07:09:00.000-04:002008-09-05T07:09:00.000-04:00My son always enjoyed the meals and the friendship...My son always enjoyed the meals and the friendship at the end of a long day ... he said 'the spread' was quite something, set out on big tables and it seemed to go on and on and on ....Pat in east TNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11654095647835294718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post-27064042530561185352008-09-04T21:26:00.000-04:002008-09-04T21:26:00.000-04:00It'll be sad to see the end of tobacco, if/when it...It'll be sad to see the end of tobacco, if/when it comes. I always feel a tad guilty for saying that -- like a poppy or coca farmer bemoaning the end of an era. <BR/><BR/>But the feeling of community -- swapping work with your neighbors/friends/family was wonderful. And as Fay says, the meals were great!Vicki Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08114677510459055768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post-75320644868422687572008-09-04T21:11:00.000-04:002008-09-04T21:11:00.000-04:00Aye Lah! The memories! Altho it's been quite a few...Aye Lah! The memories! Altho it's been quite a few years, often being the person in the top barn tiers, I definitely prefer the lazy way. As I recall, I still couldn't exactly jump out of bed the following day.<BR/>The best part of "cuttin and bringing in the baccer" was the the shared meals where everyone cooled off, ate a very fine meal and lied about all the previous years.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post-32386853316520072792008-09-04T21:06:00.000-04:002008-09-04T21:06:00.000-04:00My mom used to talk some about working tobacco fie...My mom used to talk some about working tobacco fields when she was a kid. She also worked in a cigar factory for a time, so I guess she was involved in all aspects of the business at some point.<BR/><BR/>With the big taboo now associated with smoking, I wonder if these "rituals" will soon disappear. Will be a shame really, it's all such a part of our region's history. (And I have to admit that I will always love the smell of a pipe.)Susan M. Bellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02925109035133133812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post-45284859702267217492008-09-04T20:13:00.000-04:002008-09-04T20:13:00.000-04:00I was always unskilled labor--lugging the sticks o...I was always unskilled labor--lugging the sticks of tobacco from the truck (or mule-drawn sled)into the barn and lifting them up to the first person in the tiers.<BR/><BR/> And it was, indeed, dirty work. The tobacco is gummy and the gum sticks to you and the dirt sticks to the gum.Vicki Lanehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08114677510459055768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-764237570467034909.post-63867360867611795422008-09-04T17:47:00.000-04:002008-09-04T17:47:00.000-04:00We never grew tobacco on our farm but did have an ...We never grew tobacco on our farm but did have an allotment and leased it out, and in the beginning got quite a price per pound, but towards the end it wasn't even worth the paperwork to do it and it seemed less and less farmers were growing it or wanting to lease more pounds. <BR/><BR/>It was neat to see the season go from the tobacco beds to setting to topping to harvesting. My younger son, who is 6'7", was always in BIG demand to help get it in the barns, usually on the top tier. Boy o boy but that made me SO nervous!!! He loved it though and did it for years, and oooh, you talk about some dirty work!!! UGH!!!Pat in east TNhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11654095647835294718noreply@blogger.com