I read that in the case of tobacco the 'suckers' grow mostly from sides of
the main stalk, as new shoots or leaves, similar I guess to those found on
the side of the trunk and large branches of fruit trees (but unlike the
large suckers that grow from a fruit tree's roots.) Chemicals are now used
for minimizing growth of these suckers that indeed reduce valuable nutrients
needed by large leaves of the main plant. Tobacco growth can deplete nearly
all of the soil's natural nutrients in a short time (within 3 years or less
without fertilizer) so tobacco 'patches' never lasted very long in one
location prior to fertilizer use. So...sucker 'hunting' required more than
simply inspecting the base of the plant's stalk and a good hunter was
probably well worth his/her pay -- if indeed working for pay.
Regards,
Neil McDonald
----- Original Message -----
From: "Laura Fortune" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 2:57 PM
Subject: Re: "sucker hunting"
> Suckers are extra shoots that come up from the roots of many plants. You
> see them a lot around fruit trees, for instance. They are pulled up or
cut
> off so the main plant or tree will grow larger and stronger.
>
> Laura Catherine D. Fortune
> 2645 Johnson Creek Road
> Evington, VA 24550-4133
> Telephone/FAX: 434/369-7158
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Levy, Suzanne S." <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 11:05 AM
> Subject: Re: "sucker hunting"
>
>
> When I lived in NC people talked about suckering tobacco. I thought they
> did it like they do with tomato plants to keep the branches down. Will
> have to ask my contact there whose father had a tobacco allotment...
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Grundset, Eric [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 10:46 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: "sucker hunting"
>
>
> I forget the exact details, but suckers are a shoot which grows out of
> part of a plant, in this case a tobacco plant. Because tobacco
> production was a regulated industry in terms of how many plants one
> could grow, there were sucker hunters whose job it was to get rid of
> those new shoots because they could be turned into new plants with
> rooting. That may be a little off, but I think it's basically right. And
> Donaught was requesting his payment in tobacco for his work because that
> was the form of currency for that sort of work authorized by a county
> court.
>
> Eric G. Grundset
> Library Director
> DAR Library
> 1776 D St., N.W.
> Washington, DC 20006-5303
> 202-879-3313 (phone)
> 202-879-3227 (fax)
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Watkinson [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
> Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2003 10:12 AM
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: "sucker hunting"
>
>
> Just ran across the following from Orange Co, VA, 1751: "The Pet[ition]
> of William Donaught Humbly Begs that your Worships will allow me my
> Tobacco for Sucker Hunting Last year according to the list I sent your
> worships . . ." "Sucker hunting"???
>
>
>
> Any clues from the learned listers?
>
>
>
> Please pardon the cross-post.
>
>
>
> Cheers.
>
>
>
> Jim Watkinson
>
>
>
> James D. Watkinson, Ph.D.
>
> Archives
>
> Library of Virginia
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
> 804.692.3804
>
>
>
>
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