Growing Tobacco by Ella and Samuel

By Mrs. Mills

  • planting the tabacco seeds in the seed bed

    The tabacco season stared as early as January

  • During the winter

    Forests were cleared to make new feilds for tobacco

  • Tabacco ruined the soil after 4 or 5 years

    New feilds had to be constanly prepared

  • After 2 months the tabacco was large enough to transplant

    In preporation for the for planting, the soil in field is hoed into small mounds or hills.

  • Late summer or early fall the tabacco is harvested

    The entire stalk of tobacco was cut down and left there to wilt.

  • Hung to dry for six to ten weeks

    Stakes were hung in barns to dry.

  • once were dried they were taken down and stripped.

    Often done on rainy days.
  • tobacco was packed into barrels

    tobacco was packed into barrels

    hogheads could hold 200 to 500 pounds of tobacco
  • hogheads had to be transported

    hogheads had to be transported

    workers rolled the barrels of tobacco down roads to get to the harbor