Fall colors of hickory trees

[Bob Wright]

A few years back I was talking to a lady at my church and remarked how beautiful the hickory trees had turned that fall. She was not familiar with them and asked me what color they were. I told her they were about the color of tobacco hanging in a barn. Her response to that was, "Now, who would know that?"

I reckon I thought everybody had seen that. So, for everyone's edification:



Bob Wright

 

[contender]

Bob,, sadly,,, too many folks have never lived in the country,, or have seen tobacco drying as it was hung in a barn.

 

[NC FNS]

Where I grew up, almost all the farms had been developed into housing. Milk, meat, whatever, came from the store was as much as I knew. It was such a shock when I was 11 or 12 and watched a pig get slaughtered, that I didn’t eat pork for 2 years. Luckily, I’m over it now.

 

[RoninPA]

I grew up in central PA and tobacco wasn't grown here. However, I travelled A LOT after high school (USAF and subsequent job) and got to see a lot of things (including tobacco fields and drying barns) that many people have never seen. I also knew where our meat came from (other than the grocery store) as I as brought up hunting at an early age. I just shake my head when I hear some young (20's-30's) "woke" people, normally females, say hunting should be banned, "Just go to the store to buy you meat, that way no animals will be harmed" Honest to God that is what they say. I just shake my head and walk away.

 

[Kevin]

Ive driven through TN and KY several times, not just on the interstate either, it I don’t think I’ve seen tobacco drying in barns.

Do they still do that? Or is it all industrialized nowadays? Off in some large warehouse?

I have seen sugar cane and sorghum mash production where they make molasses and whiskey. I’ve seen this in both TN and Southern MO.

In Southern Missouri there is a state park and they have one of those informative displays with a donkey walking around in a circle grinding up sugar cane.

 

[Bob Wright]

Ive driven through TN and KY several times, not just on the interstate either, it I don’t think I’ve seen tobacco drying in barns.

Do they still do that? Or is it all industrialized nowadays? Off in some large warehouse?

I have seen sugar cane and sorghum mash production where they make molasses and whiskey. I’ve seen this in both TN and Southern MO.

In Southern Missouri there is a state park and they have one of those informative displays with a donkey walking around in a circle grinding up sugar cane.

Driving through central Tennessee and Kentucky you will see well kept barns painted black. These are tobacco barns for drying. In Georgia and Virginia the barns are usually unpainted and appear more rustic. But there is still a market for tobacco. American grown tobacco goes mostly into making snuff and chewing tobacco.

Bob Wright

 

[Dan in MI]

I’ve never seen tobacco drying, but I know hickory trees. There is about a 4 day window when the leaves have a very rich tone to them. During that window I love looking at them. Before and after they are just a yellow variation but for that short period, WOW. It’s also different for each tree. They don’t all hit that rich color at the same time.

 

[golferboy426]

our gun club utilizes land that still grows cigar tobacco. A good size company processes it In South Windsor Connecticut

 

[rupert]

Grew up on a tobacco farm,raised Burly tobacco.all hand work very labor intensive,sadly most is grown overseas now

 

[peachhead]

I love hickory trees. I have a ton of them on my property. But then again, I love this sweetgum Trees too simply because they are so full and they get so green. I just have to ignore the little death balls waiting for me to bust my butt on them.

 

[dstegjas]

My wife is from North Carolina and we travel there quite often. So I’ve seen tobacco barns and cotton fields in our travels. It always brings back some of the history seeing those barns With the tobacco hanging in them. I haven’t seen them pick it, so I’m not sure how that is done. I’m sure it has been mechanized just like cotton and other products have been.

 

[golferboy426]

I love hickory trees. I have a ton of them on my property. But then again, I love this sweetgum Trees too simply because they are so full and they get so green. I just have to ignore the little death balls waiting for me to bust my butt on them.

Last year was the first time I saw a sweetgum tree and the seed pod.. I had to google it.. You don't want to step on those barefoot.