Back to Tobacco as I Remember:When the hoeing, weeding, worming, topping, and suckering were done, the crisp, clear days of fall approached. Late August and early September brought the tobacco plants to maturity. The 15 - 18" X 8 - 10" leaves turned very light green or golden. It was tobacco cutting time! School had begun in our community and many times children missed school to help with the harvest.
A very sharp half oval blade attached to a metal rod ending in a T' shaped handle was the cutting tool. (like a miniature shovel) 'Tobacco sticks' were sawed from hard wood 1"X1" square and about 3 or 4 feet long. The stick was pushed firmly into the ground then a very, very sharp cone shaped spear was placed on the top of the stick. Cutting required a skillful hand. The cutter was charged with cutting the stalk and thrusting it onto the spear and onto the stick. One stick held about 8 or 10 stalks of tobacco. http://bede.net/images/photoalbum/photos2.html
The cut tobacco could be left in the field for a day or so to allow it to wilt. Then the cut tobacco still on the sticks was hauled to the barn to be hung on high rafters which were placed so the sticks would not fall off. Hanging tobacco in the barn was really hard work. One stick might weigh 30 or 40 lbs. The barn would be filled from the very top to 10 - 12 ' above the floor.
The tobacco had to be placed with space for air to circulate through it, to create the 'air drying' process. It had to air cure for at least two months. By the end of this time, it had shrunk considerably and had changed to a warm light brown color.
The knife with the "T" shaped handle was a holdover from the days before the "Spear". The knife was used with a punching motion to cut the tobacco stalk. The shape of the blade was designed to allow the user to make a slit in the tobacco stalk that allowed the tobacco stick to slide through the slit to hold the stalk on the stick. This was an operation that could be done much easier and faster with the spear. The "T" shaped knife was replaced with a machete type that allowed cutting the stalk with a chopping motion, again easier and faster.
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