Well done David....just about right. This tobacco had just been harvested by hand and strung onto its drying hooks in the field before being transported to the drying facility. It is from the larger leaved variety grown in certain fields around us and afforded more care than the main crop. Although the lower leaves are harvested first by hand with both types, it is rare now to see them strung up in situ. I followed the cart transporting it down a narrow road yesterday and thought it a good 'photo opportunity. The main harvest is done mechanically these days and the leaves just tossed into large trailers for transport - on windy days many get blown away.
In our area the introduction of tobacco growing made a huge impact although now it is under attack not only because of the anti smoking campaigns but also because it is considered dangerous to the environment due to the amount of fertilisers and herbicides needed to produce a good crop not to mention the amount of irrigation it also demands. We have locally a small museum recording the history of its production in this area and I found it interesting to read that it played an important part in the emancipation of women hereabouts. They were employed in large numbers to sort and string up the leaves and for the first time found relief from the daily grind of being at home, often in poor and isolated conditions. The camaraderie thus making as big an impact on their lives, and those of their families, as did the wages they received.
