Barning Tobacco

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

Grading tobacco is preliminary to sending it to market. The farmer must bundle the cured tobacco by grade before it goes off for auction or purchase:

“Then it must 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: 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 choice. The second grade is ordinary, and the third grade is the remainder that’s saved of the crop.”

Marler was also free with farm philosophy, capturing the mood of post-Depression-era farmers.

“I don’t pay no attention to politics no more,” he said. “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 church member, for when I look around me, it seems that being a member don’t change a person much. And I never thought it was right to do anything if you don’t exactly know you’re right in doing it, so I never joined a church. I go with Maria when we can get off, but that ain’t often ’cause we got so many children. Maria’s 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 mighty 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.” FC

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print