[AT] O.T. - Now Sandlugs.

[charlie hill]

> Some of my fondest memories are of the days when we
> worked the farm with the only tractor we owned, a 140
> Farmall.  She and I would ride the transplanter
> "settin Pepper or tobacco" dropping plants and it was
> called here. My dad made me learn to "drop" right and
> left handed.  He always had right handers but left
> handers were in short supply.  I will always remember
> running the old tractor breaking land after dark in
> the spring when the air would have a chill to it and
> the muffler would be cherry red in the middle with a
> little fire out the top when the old farmall would be
> pullin hard.  I couldn't wait to turn around and have
> the warm air coming off the engine to warm me up.  We
> always had fresh vegetables and meat from the farm
> for the meals.  She would work the farm when she
> could and have the meals ready when we showed up to
> eat.  Every cardiologist on the planet would condemn
> the menu for cholesterol, but it sure was good eatin
> and kept us going.
>   Cucumbers, squash, tobacco, pepper, soybeans,
> corn, hogs, cows, were all produced on our little 80
> acres.  I still have my dad's tax returns from the
> 50's.  He made the same price per bushel on corn that
> I was getting when I stopped farming.  He always said
> that the pepper crop paid for the tobacco harvest.
> By the way around her we didn't prime tobacco, we
> cropped it.  You have not lived until you have sand
> lugged tobacco in 100 degree weather and until you
> have hung those sand lugs in rainy weather and taken
> those cured lugs out after curing.  If you don't get
> an eye full of sand and gum, you aren't doing it right.
> Sorry for the long rant, your family is in our prayers
> Travis


Travis,  we lived in Craven county and we primed tobacco.  My maternal 
grandfather was in Columbus county and they cropped tobacco.  Also they used 
tobacco "sleds" instead of "trucks".

Looking back now I can remember all of the hard work of tobacco in friendly 
terms except for one thing.  I still get mad at the thought of having to eat 
breakfast at 5:30 AM with sand in my hair and eyes from taking out a barn of 
lugs at 4 AM.

Charlie