| Sowing | | | | handfuls, and pass these to the "stringer", who loops |
| Tobacco seeds are scattered onto the surface of the | | | | twine around the handfuls of tobacco and hangs them |
| soil, as their germination is activated by light. In colonial | | | | on a long wooden square pole. Traditionally, the |
| Virginia, seedbeds were fertilized with wood ash or | | | | croppers, down in the dark and wet, with their faces |
| animal manure (frequently powdered horse manure). | | | | getting slapped by the huge tobacco leaves, were |
| Seedbeds were then covered with branches to | | | | men, and the stringers seated on the higher elevated |
| protect the young plants from frost damage. These | | | | seats were women. The harvester has places for 4 |
| plants were left to grow until around April. | | | | teams of workers: 8 people cropping and stringing, plus |
| In the nineteenth century, young plants came under | | | | a packer who takes the heavy strung poles of wet |
| increasing attack from the flea beetle (Epitrix | | | | green tobacco from the stringers and packs them |
| cucumeris or Epitrix pubescens), causing destruction of | | | | onto the pallet section of the harvester, plus a driver, |
| half the United States tobacco crop in 1876. In the | | | | making the total crew of each harvester 10 people. |
| years afterward, many experiments were attempted | | | | Interestingly, the outer seats are suspended from the |
| and discussed to control the flea beetle. By 1880 it | | | | harvester - slung out over to fit into the aisles of |
| was discovered that replacing the branches with a | | | | tobacco. As these seats are suspended it is important |
| frame covered by thin fabric would effectively protect | | | | to balance the weight of the 2 outside teams (similar |
| plants from the beetle. This practice spread until it | | | | to a playground see-saw). Having too heavy or light a |
| became ubiquitous in the 1890s. | | | | person in an unbalanced combination often results in |
| Today, in the United States, unlike other countries, | | | | the harvester tipping over especially when turning |
| tobacco is often fertilized with the mineral apatite in | | | | around at the end of a lane. Water tanks are a |
| order to partially starve the plant for nitrogen, which | | | | common feature on the harvester due to heat, and |
| changes the taste. This (together with the use of | | | | danger of dehydration for the workers. Salt tablets |
| licorice and other additives) accounts for the different | | | | sometimes get used as well. |
| flavor of American cigarettes from those available in | | | | Pests |
| other countries. There is, however, some suggestion | | | | Pests of tobacco include the moths Endoclita |
| that this may have adverse health effects attributable | | | | excrescens, Manduca sexta (the Tobacco hornworm), |
| to the polonium content of apatite. | | | | and Manduca quinquemaculata. Other Lepidoptera |
| Transplanting | | | | whose larvae use tobacco as a food plant include |
| After the plants have reached a certain height, they | | | | Angle Shades, Cabbage Moth, Mouse Moth, Nutmeg |
| are transplanted into fields. This was originally done by | | | | Moth, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Turnip Moth. |
| making a relatively large hole in the tilled earth with a | | | | The dry tobacco leaves and cigarettes are sometimes |
| tobacco peg, then placing the small plant in the hole. | | | | used as food for the Cigarette Beetle (Lasioderma |
| Various mechanical tobacco planters were invented | | | | serricorne). |
| throughout the late 19th and early 20th century to | | | | Cut plants or pulled leaves are immediately transferred |
| automate this process, making a hole, fertilizing it, and | | | | to tobacco barns (kiln houses), where they will be |
| guiding a plant into the hole with one motion. | | | | cured. Curing methods varies with the type of tobacco |
| Topping and suckering | | | | grown, and tobacco barn design varies accordingly. |
| Once the tobacco plants are growing well, they will | | | | Air-cured tobacco is hung in well-ventilated barns and |
| begin to produce shoots from the joint of each leaf | | | | allowed to dry over a period of weeks. Fire-cured |
| with the stalk. These secondary shoots — | | | | tobacco is hung in large barns where smoldering fires |
| known as "suckers" — are undesirable as | | | | of hardwoods are kept burning. Flue-cured tobacco |
| they divert energy that could be directed into the | | | | was originally strung onto tobacco sticks, which were |
| leaves. They are removed in a process known as | | | | hung from tier-poles in curing barns (Aus: kilns, also |
| "suckering" (sometimes spelled "succoring" in older | | | | traditionally called Oasts). These barns have flues |
| writing). Generally this is done by hand several times | | | | which run from externally-fed fire boxes, heat-curing |
| during the season. Recently anti-suckering compounds | | | | the tobacco without exposing it to smoke. Traditional |
| have come into use. | | | | curing barns in the U.S. are falling into disuse, as the |
| At a certain stage of maturity, the plant will produce a | | | | trend toward more efficient prefabricated metal "bulk |
| flower cluster from its tip, as well as the tips of any | | | | bars", allows greater efficiency. Curing and subsequent |
| suckers that remain on the plant. In order to divert | | | | aging allows for the slow oxidation and degradation of |
| more energy into the leaves, the plant is "topped" | | | | carotenoids in tobacco leaf. This produces certain |
| — the top is cut off. | | | | compounds in the tobacco leaves very similar and give |
| Tobacco is harvested in one of two ways. In the | | | | a sweet hay, tea, rose oil, or fruity aromatic flavor that |
| oldest method, the entire plant is harvested at once by | | | | contribute to the "smoothness" of the smoke. Starch is |
| cutting off the stalk at the ground with a curved knife. | | | | converted to sugar which glycates protein and is |
| In the nineteenth century, bright tobacco began to be | | | | oxidized into advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs), |
| harvested by pulling individual leaves off the stalk as | | | | a caramelization process that also adds flavor. |
| they ripened. The leaves ripen from the ground | | | | Inhalation of these AGEs in tobacco smoke contributes |
| upwards, so a field of tobacco may go through | | | | to atherosclerosis and cancer. |
| several "pullings" before the tobacco is entirely | | | | Unaged or low quality tobacco is often flavoured with |
| harvested, and the stalks may be turned into the soil. | | | | these naturally occurring compounds. Tobacco |
| "Cropping" or "pulling" are terms for pulling leaves off | | | | flavoring is a significant part of a multi-million dollar |
| tobacco. Leaves are cropped as they ripen, from the | | | | industry. |
| bottom of the stalk up. The first crop at the very | | | | The aging process continues for a period of months |
| bottom of the stalks are called "sand lugs", as they are | | | | and often extends into the post-curing process. |
| often against the ground and are coated with dirt | | | | Post-cure processing |
| splashed up when it rains. Sand lugs weigh the most, | | | | After tobacco is cured, it is moved from the curing |
| and are most difficult to work with. Originally workers | | | | barn into a storage area for processing. If whole plants |
| cropped the tobacco and placed it on mule-pulled | | | | were cut, the leaves are removed from the tobacco |
| sleds. Eventually tractors with wagons were used to | | | | stalks in a process called stripping. For both cut and |
| transport leaves to the stringer, an apparatus which | | | | pulled tobacco, the leaves are then sorted into |
| uses twine to sew leaves onto a stick . | | | | different grades. In colonial times, the tobacco was |
| Some farmers use "tobacco harvesters" - basically a | | | | then "prized" into hogsheads for transportation. In bright |
| trailer pulled behind a tractor. The harvester is a | | | | tobacco regions, prizing was replaced by stacking |
| wheeled sled or trailer that has seats for the croppers | | | | wrapped "hands" into loose piles to be sold at auction. |
| to sit on and seats just in front of these for the | | | | Today, most cured tobacco is baled before sales |
| "stringers" to sit on. The croppers pull the leaves off in | | | | under contract. |