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BARNING TOBACCO
Original Names:
Bessie
dohnGolder
Lillie
Changed Names:
Cassie
Archie Marler
Maria
Date of first writing:
Person interviewed:
Address:
Occupation:
Writer:
Reviser:
'vuriber of words:
BARNING TOBACCO
August 1,, 1939
Tohn Holder (White)
Route i 4
Durham, N. C.
Tobacco farmer
Omar Darrow
Edwin Massengill
About 2,000
Three small boys, two white and the other one oolored,
were rolling automobile tires down the narrow dusty path* Their
clothes were soiled, obviously having not been changed all the
week, and it was now Friday. They were too small to be placed
at work at the tobacco "bench" where the other members of the
family work five and six days each week, so they usually
retort to the tires, their only "plaything" for amusement.
"That's Cassiels little boy," remarked the larger
of the white children as he attempted to explain the presence
of the colored child. "He plays with us sometimes while his
mama helps my mama." Then the white child spat tobacco juice.
The other two did likewise.
These two white children belong to Arehie.narler, a
landowner, who plants tobacco for his means of livelihood. They
rolled their tires on down the path until they came to the bridge
which crosses the stream between the road and their house. Here
they stopped, and one of the little boys took from his pocket a
deck of playing cards.
"Want to to play a game of something?" he asked. "I play
anything, pinocle, blackjack, poker, or anything."
"Letts play poker," added the other little boy.
The house was only a short distance from this bridge.
Maria, the wife of Archie, was in the kitchen, for it was one of
the days on which they dldntt have to barn tobacco. The house
is old with warped weatherboarding. It has never been painted
and the floor sagged in places. The little boys called to their
mother and she appeared at the door, dressed in a neat gingham
dress but soiled apron.
"I'm just ashaaled for you to see everything in such a
mess," she apologized, "but have a seat if you can find any plaos
tc put the chair amongst all these pea hulls scattered all over
the floor. Were curing and getting in tobacco all the time,
and I have four extra hinds to 000k for all the time besides the
fifteen we have on ':)arning days. But Archie is at the house
today, and he has been helping me to shell the butter beans and
peas. It takes near 'bout a bushel of each to feed this crowd.
I also have to kill 'bout five or six chickens at the time to
go tround for two meals. I always cook my dinner and supper
together."
Maria was now in the room next to the kitchen, a
room with two iron beds and the household's only dresser,
and its mirror was so nearly covered with flyspecks that one
could barely see himsetf. The two beds also were dingy, but
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this was due to the faot that children play upon them constantly.
The flies were also bad, inside and out.
"1 don't know what to do 'bout the children's heads,"
7 -:,aria remarked. "They've been covered in them sores, and nothing
tried won't do them no good. See how big them scabs are?"
The little boys were in the kitchen pawing over the
left -over food. The kitchen was furnished with an old weather
beaten sideboard, a table, a sale, and a wood stove. They eat
in the bedroom.
"Some of the boys have fixed them a room upstairs in
the pack house," she continued. "That helps out, too, and they
says they like it better cause they ain't bothered by the
children. My oldest girl is now married and don't live here no
more.
"My oldest boy suss is a good one. Luring all the
time that Archie was working at the prison camp guarding
prisoners he stayed at home and was man or the house. But I
don't know what to do with the rest of them. Them littlest
boys will dip snuff in spite of all I can do. I don't know
where they got it unless they picked it up from some of the
niggers 'round. I just don't have time to stop and whip them.
"There's Archie now ir you wanted to ask him anything
'bout tobacco," she interrupted herself.
Archie was wearing clean khaki pants, a blue shirt,
a gray hat, and was barefoot as was his wife.
"I've got in two barns now," he began, "I'm always
glad when I get my barns filled, then I can get out of them
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clothes and feel a bit cleaner. I'll tell you what's so, when
I come out of them clothes awhile ago them overalls was so full
of gum they stood alone 'cause they was so stiff.
"Raising tobacco is sure a nasty job as well as a hard
one. If I'd get what my crop this year is worth in dollars and
cents I'd never have to hit another lick or work no matter how
long I lived, but we folks what makes it don't get nothing much.
"Here's what us tobacco growers have to do to make a crop:
We burn out places that we want to sow our seeds along maybe in
November. To burn a plant bed means that we burn brush over
the spot. That kills out grass seeds and ground insects and
leaves ashes that helps to fertilize the ground. Then as soon
as we get that bed worked up like we want we sow the seeds.
This comes the last of January. We leave the bed then for the
seeds to start germinating which is about three or four weeks,
then we put canvas on it.
"The seeds start coming up about the last of February,
and in a week or so we have to start weeding the bed. We start
planting by the last of April into May but plant no later than
jun°. We plow it at least four times and chop it not less than
three times.
"Before we can plant it at all we have to work the land
by plowing. Then we fertilize deeply in the furrows that are
first run for rows. We start working this land for planting
alf,Aost by the time we start canvassing the plant bed. After
it is plowed the second time we start harrowing it until it is
soft before we ever out a furrow with a plow.
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"Almost by the time the plant is set the worms start
coming, then there's worming to be done. The grass start*
along with the worminf7 which calls for plowing and chopping.
We start priming it around July, first or second week, and
each field is primed at least five times before it is finally
out, It takes two and a half cords of wood to cure a barn and
that has to be out and split.
"After we get A barn filled we fire it and get it
started to curing at between 80 and 90 degrees and let it stay
thereabout until it turns yellow, Then we get the thermometer
up to 110 for about eight or ten hours, then increase the fire,
stopping when it reaches 120 degrees for three or four hours.
After this, we run the heat up to 130 for twenty-five hours,
drying the leaf. Then we co up to 170 or 180 to kill it out.
It takes four days and four nights to cure one barn. We hardly
ever set up, though; we just set a clock to alarm at different
times. When it's dried we just let the fire get down and drag
the coals out of the flues. Then we keep the dirt floors of
the barns wet and keep this up a day and half or two days to
get the leaf in order for moving. This softens the leaves so
that they don't crack or tear from handling* If the weather is
rainy or damp we only open the doors to let the moisture in.
When it is ready to move we pack it up in a pile with all the
tips turned one way, then we pen it with all the sticks to the
outside of the pens so that ventilation might prevent molding.
°Mon it mist be graded. It takes three days for one
grader to grade a barn and he must have two men to tie it up.
There is three grades, or that's the new way of grading. It
used to be that there was about six grades. We have a first
grade which is yellow --that is the chola.. The second grade is
ordinary, and the third grade is the remainder that's saved of
the crop.
"I've got a corn crop that will bring me nearly 500
barrels. I have mules and horses, to say nothing of the two
hogs that weigh 400 pounds. I can have my own corn ground for
meal, for all of us likes corn bread a heap better than we do
biscuit. We have lots of chickens, too, and we feed thew corn
and then there is the fodder and the tops that we feed to the
milch cow.
"We have a big family of our own and since my brother's
wife died I have his son along with my own children. His boy
is near on to twenty years old, and I give him a tobacco patch
that made him almost a barn. I didn't count it along with
mine when I talked to you.
"Every year I market sweet potatoes and often turnip
salad. As for any other crop, Maria has been able to can
tomatoes, corn, and fruits of such as we have here on the farm.
just don't know just what a man could do and how a man could
get along with a family if they didn't have just such a wife as
Maria is, for she sure has stuck and done all she could to get
along.
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0'1 don't pay no attention to politics no more. I used
to be a Democrat but now I hardly know what to call myself
'cause I ain't much of a New Dealer.
"I'm no church member. Maria is, She's been a member
since she was a girl. I never felt much like I should be a
cburch member, for when T. look around me it seems that being
a member don't change a person much. And I never thought it was
right to do anythinF if you don't exactly know you're right in
doing it, so I never joined a church. I go w5.th Maria when we
can get off, but that ain't often 'cause we got so many children.
rarials one of them old-fashioned kind of mothers that wants to
take the kids to church with us, and there's so many to wash
and dress we just can't get there on time.
"We don't have no car on the place except Bronco's old
'26 Ford. I ain't felt able to buy another for we need a new
house here.
"I own the place. The land's right good and I make
good crops, but I have to work A.Fhty hard to give my family
plenty to eat and clothes to wear. I've got near to 100 acres
in this piece and another little tract close by just over the
hill yonder. A poor man has to work all his life anyhow, but
it's healthy."
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