The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-01-09
HARVESTING TOBACCO.
How the Weed Is Cut, Dried and Assorted.

HOW the Weeu rs Cut, Drleu ana Assorteu'
After the harvest is over, the time of
the laborers is given up en-
tirely to the tobacco, which has now
grown to fair size. Their first task is
to ''sucker" it-that is, cut away the
shoots that spring up at the intersection
of each leaf and the stalk, and which if
left to grown would absorb half the
strength of the plant, They also ex-
anime the leaves very carefully, to de-
stroy the eggs and young of the tobac-
co-fy. Day after day they go over the
same fields, find newly-laid eggs and
newly-hatched young where only twelve
hours before they brushed their coun-
terparts off to be trampled under foot.
AS the tobacco ripens, it becomes brit
tie to the touch and is covered with dark
yellow spots, and when this appearance
is still further developed the time for
cutting has arrived which generally is
in the first month of autumn, and al
ways before frost, which is fatal to this
as to every other weed. The plant is now
about three feet in height, with eight
or nine large leaves, the stalk
having been broken off at the
top in the second stage of its
growth. On the appointed day dozen or
more men with coarse knives split the
stalk of each plant straight down its
middle to within half a foot of the
ground They then strike the plant
from the hill and lay it on one side.
The leaves soon shrink under the rays
of the sun and fall. One of the labor
ers who follow the cutters then takes it
up and places it with nine or ten other
plants on stick, which is thrust through
the angle formed by the two halves of
the plant separated from each other
except at one end. 1t is deposited
with the rest in an open box oX-cart and
transported to the barn. In the barn
poles have been arranged in tiers from
bottom to topto support the sticks; and
when the building is full of tobacco the
laborer in charge ignites the logs that
fill parallel trenches in the dirt floor,
and high rate of temperature is soon
produced, and is maintained for several
days, during which watch is kept to
replenish the flames and prevent confla-
grafton. AS soon as the tobacco has
changed from deep green to light
brown, it is removed on a wet day to a
i general barn. The same process of
curing is going on in many barns on the
same plantation, and occasionally one
is burned down; for the tobacco is very
inflammable, stray spark from below
being sufficient to set the whole on fire.
The hands are as busy in winter in
manipulating the tobacco, which has
been stored away in one large barn,
and preparing it for market, the first
step toward which is to strip the leaves
from the stalk and then carefully sepa
rate those of an inferior from those of 6
superior quality. Although there are
many grades the negroes are able tx
distinguish them at q glance and assor
them accedingly. They are not en-
gagged in this work of selection eontinu
ously from day to day, but at intervals
for they can handle the tobacco onlI
when The weather is damp enough Il
moisten the leaf, otherwise it is so brit
tie that it would crack and fall to piece
under their touch. They like this work
for the barn is kept very comforta
BILE by large stoves, they do no
have to move from their seats. and the,
can all sit very socially together, talk
ing, laughing and singing. ltcontrast
very agreeably with other work whicl
they are called upon to do namely, tn
grubbing of new grounds, from whic
they shrink with unconcealed repug
nance, for outside of a mine there is n
kind of labor more arduous or exacting
The land cleared is that from which tn
original forest has been cut, leavin
stumps thickly scattered over the SUI
face, from which heavy scrub-growt
, springs up, Active, quick and indus
trious as the negroes may be in tn
tobacco, corn or wheat fields, they shO'
! here great Incidence, and move forwar
very slowly with their hoes, axes an
picks, piling up, as they advance, massC
; Of roots, saplings, stumps and brusl
which, when dry, are set on fire an
: consumed. The soil exposed is ricl
q but thin loan of decayed leaves,
= which tobacco grows with luxuriance.-
y LippincottS Magazine.