Stringing tobacco was a busy, hands-on family operation. After the leaves were picked, children helped bundle the good leaves and passed them down the line to the stringers. Working quickly, the stringers threaded the leaves onto wooden sticks, preparing them to be carried into the tobacco barn for flue-curing. This photograph captures four stringers working side by side, showing how quickly a family could prepare a full load of tobacco. Just behind them, the barn waited to be filled, with rows of freshly strung tobacco soon to hang from its rafters as the curing process began.