As children we had several chores but I remembers all work was work and so there was really no chore which was the worst. I does recall how picking tobacco was less than desirable. Picking tobacco was awful because your hands would get so sticky you couldn’t even get your own fist undone. The sap from the tobacco was like glue.
During World War II all young boys went into the service and started smoking. The first year father had a tobacco allotment with no government support. We planted and harvested 12.5 acres which is one thousands hours of labor. The government put a supply price on the tobacco the next year and received five hundred dollar profit off of the tobacco produced. Tobacco was a big portion of our family income. We would dry it in the barn across boards and had to make hot beds. We would go through the forest with a team of horses and make a brush pile. The brush pile would be burned to make heat in order to kill the seeds in early spring. After the brush pile was made and burned off, one tablespoon of seeds were put into a gallon of ashes. This would be mixed up and spread smoothly. We would take the gallon of ashes and line with poles covered in cheesecloth to prevent frost and birds from affecting the tobacco supply.