This was brightleaf tobacco, individual leaves were “primed” or pulled off the plants from the bottom up. The barns were very hot and the tobacco that was already put up would sweat, which got into your eyes while you were climbing around in there and stung like heck. It was better to be on the ground feeding leaves to the women doing the stringing onto sticks, to be honest. At least there was a breeze and you could see a snake before getting too close for comfort.
We stripped out the various grades (bright, dark, tips) after the tobacco had cured, bundled the leaves, and packed the bundles in the 4 X 4 baskets to send to auction.
The stalks went back into the fields via a manure spreader.
We kids got as much of the tips as we could strip--good money for a youngster.