Florence, When I was a kid we still tied burley by hand and it was graded by the type of leaf and the color. Tips were on the top and were small - I think the brights were real red or gold and they went for making cigars. The trash or ground leaves were all sorted together. I was told this was what went into the cheapest cigarettes. In Eastern Kentucky we didn't grade as it was hung - we waited till it came into case - was properly cured and they pulled each leaf off the stalk and sorted by the different grades. I don't remember taking it down and rehanging it, though. Once we had a good size pile we would tie "hands" of that pile. One leaf was used to wrap around the stem ends to make a bundle. The hands were put in a press and pushed down tight. Folks sort and grade way different now. The farmer no longer ties it into hands - they just bale it now. I really don't know how they grade or sort these days. Stephen Hollen Appalachian Storyteller & Mountain Humorist My Daddy says Happiness is like Moonshine; Make your own and you'll never run out. www.mountainstories.com online journal: http://mountainstories.easyjournal.com ----- Original Message ----- From: <FLOCORN@aol.com> To: <KYCLAY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, June 09, 2003 6:05 PM Subject: [KYCLAY] Re:anyone remember old time tobacco grading? > Stephen, help me understand..... I know about tobacco grading, but it has > been awhile. I am willing to call a cousin and find out...... Question this is > what we did on the farm when hanging,,,,, or after hanging and the second > redrying? or was this something that the Tabacco companies did and the time of > bidding.,,,,,, There was grading going alone all the time, as best as I can > remember..... I do know that we only had several grades and much depended on the > brand of the seed,,,,,, and where on the side of the mountain it grew(how much sun > it got, and how far down) While companies had more than 100 grades. A lot of > the grading on the farm was done as it was cut and hung,,,,, taken down and > rehung for the second redrying......... Let me know. It has been a long > time..... I have always enjoyed your site..... > > Florence

Stephen, November 1927 my father broke the Record of the Season by selling the highest basket of tobacco on the Richmond, Ky. market. Somewhere I have the news paper clipping that atested the feat. December 1942, I had two baskets of tobacco that sold on the same market for the lowest price paid that year. It happened this way: The first day we set tobacco, my crop, was a very hot dry day. Although we were watering the planta as we set them the plants were wilting badly. After we had set 15 roows we called it a day. A few days later it rained and we set the rest of the patch. The first 15 rows never did fully recovered while the plants set later grew as they should. After we had cut and housed the later set crop we left the fifteen rows in the field and went north to find a job. Later my father had the men cut and house the fifteen rows. It may have gotteen frost bit and the barn it was hung in was not properly ventilated. Any was the tobacco never cured properly. At Christmas time Ruth and I came home from Ohio and I stripped and graded my crop. Of the 15 rows I pulled the best off the stalk and put it into one grade. The rest I pitched out with the stalks as not fit to sell. A few days later my father saw what I had done and told me that he thought the discarded tobacco would bring enough to be worth while to salvage and send it to market on top of another load that was going to market. I spent a few hours complying with my father`s directions, after all, he was probaly the best tobacco growed in these parts. . When the two baskets of tobacco sold the Richmond Daily reported that two basket had sold for the lowest price paid so far that year, They didn`t bother to mention the grower`s name. JESS WILSON ----- Original Message ----- From: "Stephen Hollen" <storyteller@commkey.net> To: <KYCLAY-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Monday, June 09, 2003 4:56 PM Subject: Re: [KYCLAY] Re:anyone remember old time tobacco grading? > Florence, > When I was a kid we still tied burley by hand and it was graded by the type > of leaf and the color. Tips were on the top and were small - I think the > brights were real red or gold and they went for making cigars. The trash or > ground leaves were all sorted together. I was told this was what went into > the cheapest cigarettes. > > In Eastern Kentucky we didn't grade as it was hung - we waited till it came > into case - was properly cured and they pulled each leaf off the stalk and > sorted by the different grades. I don't remember taking it down and > rehanging it, though. > > Once we had a good size pile we would tie "hands" of that pile. One leaf > was used to wrap around the stem ends to make a bundle. The hands were put > in a press and pushed down tight. > > Folks sort and grade way different now. The farmer no longer ties it into > hands - they just bale it now. I really don't know how they grade or sort > these days. > > Stephen Hollen > Appalachian Storyteller & Mountain Humorist > My Daddy says Happiness is like Moonshine; Make your own and you'll never > run out. > www.mountainstories.com > online journal: http://mountainstories.easyjournal.com > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: <FLOCORN@aol.com> > To: <KYCLAY-L@rootsweb.com> > Sent: Monday, June 09, 2003 6:05 PM > Subject: [KYCLAY] Re:anyone remember old time tobacco grading? > > > > Stephen, help me understand..... I know about tobacco grading, but it has > > been awhile. I am willing to call a cousin and find out...... Question > this is > > what we did on the farm when hanging,,,,, or after hanging and the second > > redrying? or was this something that the Tabacco companies did and the > time of > > bidding.,,,,,, There was grading going alone all the time, as best as I > can > > remember..... I do know that we only had several grades and much depended > on the > > brand of the seed,,,,,, and where on the side of the mountain it grew(how > much sun > > it got, and how far down) While companies had more than 100 grades. A lot > of > > the grading on the farm was done as it was cut and hung,,,,, taken down > and > > rehung for the second redrying......... Let me know. It has been a long > > time..... I have always enjoyed your site..... > > > > Florence > >