Yesterday I posted about the rainy day drive that hubby and I took. One person who commented said they'd never seen tobacco kilns like this, so I decided to post the other photo that I took while we were out.
This shows the tobacco kilns up closer. These were very near the road. These were all over the area when I was growing up and they came in two colors...green or red. The tobacco industry was a good money maker when I was young. When I was fifteen, you could make $500 in one summer working in tobacco. That was great money for that time...1964. Though it was back-breaking work, the pay was good and most of the tobacco farmers treated their employees great. I remember they used to pick people up around 6am at the city square and drop them off in the evening.
There were several jobs that you could do. Suckering for me was the easiest and though it was hard, hot work, it was not as hot as working in the kiln. Hanging the tobacco was no fun at all and I didn't mind being out in the fields.
Today, there isn't much tobacco grown in this area. The tobacco that is grown is harvested by machine and it seems that the younger generation doesn't want to do that kind of manual labor. Many people come here from Jamaica and Mexico to work in the tobacco and produce industries.
Hubby and I didn't do much today. This afternoon there were thunderstorms and torrential rains. It quit for a bit and we went out to do a bit of shopping. Tomorrow I will show you the bargain that I got. Tonight I watched Regis and Millionaire and then the new show called Shark Tank, but programming was interrupted because of another major storm. The temperatures were in the high 90s with a humidex of over 100F. Tomorrow is to be less humid but the hot trend continues. I really enjoyed the cooler temperatures and hope they resume.
I'm like you, I relish the cooler temperatures. Bet you're looking forward to autumn.
ReplyDeleteThe storm came by this way too. We didn't get a heavy down pour to my knowledge but we could hear a lot of thunder.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tobacco information. I live in an area where there are lots of farmers, but none grow tobacco.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you - I'll take cooler weather. However - it's supposed to be hot and humid all week.
Wow......your story is amazing. I didn't realize so much labor was associated with the tobacco farming. And you're so right on that one aspect...the younger generation doesn't understand what HARD LABOR is these days.
ReplyDeleteExcellent pay for a teen too!!!!!
Loved this post Mary. I'll come back later to see what you bought.
Hey we did not have such fancy kilns around here. We usually hung it up to cure and some in the northern part smoked the tobacco in the barns. Never was involved in that process but I remember long hot days and cold ones stripping the tobacco in the barns after it cured. Peace
ReplyDeleteThe tobacco industry in Ontario is largely gone now. I think I read lately that they were discontinuing the tobacco auction.
ReplyDeleteI must say I am glad to see the growing of this killing product ending. Unfortunately tobacco farms were small and too small to make a living at any other crop. I do know high bush blueberries have been tried and perhaps gensing.
I lived in the Connecticut Valley for a while and they grew shade tobacco there. It was all very picturesue to seem the fields of white cloth under which they grew tobacco. Do you remember the film "Parrish" with Troy Donahue set in the Tobacco area of Connecticut Valley.
When my two older brothers were teenagers, I remember them heading out your way to work in the tobacco fields during the summer. I had never seen the tobacco kilns, though, so I found that very interesting! I agree with you, kids these days don't want to do that kind of back breaking work anymore. xoxo
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