14
Plants are nurtured along by cultivating and hoeing to remove any competition from weeds and grasses. Tobacco will establish a strong root system in the early stages of growth in the fields in drier conditions but require adequate moisture to develop into maturity. Irrigation is often required in the months of July and August when rainfall is not forthcoming.15
Another dangerous element in these warm summer months to the maturing plant is the green horn worm. These fastidious insects can consume a tobacco plant in a day's time; however, the farmer applied an application of insecticide using a high boy sprayer. In the 1950's to the 1970's, aerial spraying was also a popular method of applying insecticide to the fields of tobacco from low-flying airplanes. This took great flying skill as the aircraft was dropped only a few metres (feet) above the tobacco in order to spray the insecticide over the plants. This meant maneuvering the aircraft over buildings, power lines and woodlots.16
The Kiln Yard1950's
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The Fields:Tobacco is grown on a every second year rotation with rye as cover crop: once ploughed down rye returns nitrate to the light sandy soil but on some farms with heavier soils wheat, corn and soybeans are grown in alternate years.
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The Old and the New Technologies Combined1950's
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In the early years, horses were commonly used to plough and cultivating the fields for growing tobacco; Tractors quickly replaced the work horses as technology advanced.20
Planting TobaccoJune 1965
Bothwell, Ontario, Canada
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As tender seedlings, tobacco plants can be subjected to several detrimental insects, such as cutworm, wireworm, nematodes and seed maggots, which will destroy the young plants. As a preventive, appropriating chemicals are applied to the fields and the transplant water to control the insect population. The amount of tobacco grown was determined by the amount of rights that were assigned to each farm.22
Tobacco TopJuly 2008
Bothwell, Ontario, Canada
Credits:Courtesy of Bothwell-Zone & District Historical Society
23
Before Harvest:The tobacco plants send out a flowering bud in order to produce seed when it reaches maturity at the end of July to the early part of August. Topping is a very important step in producing tobacco as it determines the size and number of leaves. Suckers appear at the base of each leaf immediately after the topping of the plant which when left to grow will develop into a tall shoot competing for nutrients.
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Flue TobaccoAugust 2008
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When tobacco was initially grown in large scale, suckering was done by hand which required many hours of diligent work. Repeated suckering may have been required before the end of the harvest season. In the 1960's, special oil mixed in water, MH-30, was applied by hand to the top of each plant which would run down the stem and puddle at each leave. The oil proved very effective to controlling suckers but left traces on the tobacco leaf. New sucker control chemicals have been developed to eliminate the need for suckering by hand.26
The Harvest
27
Harvesting tobacco: In the beginning, pioneers grew leaf tobacco and harvested the plants in much the same method that is used for burley and black tobacco. The entire plant was cut down when most of the leaves were ripe and place over a wooden slat and hung in the barn to air-cure. Methods of harvesting for bright-leaf tobacco needed to be changed as this method did not produced the desired result. The leaves of the bright-leaf tobacco ripen a few leaves at a time from the bottom of the plant to the top. |
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