Barning Tobacco

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What the author captures is an interesting look into the process of fire-curing tobacco in the farmer’s barn. To a tobacco farmer, it’s called “barning tobacco.” Marler describes the growing cycle and process from its beginnings when the ground is cultivated.

“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 the 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 June. 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 almost 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 cut a furrow with a plow.

“Almost by the time the plant is set, the worms start coming. Then there’s worming to be done. The grass starts along with the worming, 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 cut.”

Marler describes this laborious process of fire-curing tobacco in the sweltering heat of a North Carolina summer:

“It takes two and a half cords of wood to cure a bam, and that has to be cut 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 thereabouts until it turns yellow. Then we get the thermometer up to 110 for about eight or 10 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 25 hours, drying the leaf. Then we go up to 170 or 180 to kill it out. It takes four days and four nights to cure one bam. 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 a 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.”

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