Sometimes called Brightleaf, tobacco was an important cash crop for 19th and 20th century farmers. It took many field hands, a well-trained mule, and 7-8 months of work from seed to market. Tobacco seeds are very small, forming in tear-shaped pods under the flower, and the seeds needed to plant an entire crop would fit in a level teaspoon. Because of their size, the seeds had to be mixed with a filler like sawdust or cottonseed meal and spread over a finely tilled plant bed, where they grew tightly together until they were 6-8 inches tall and ready to pull. Rows were laid off with a mule-drawn plow, and the farmer and helper carried water and loose plants to set with a hand setter, spacing them wide enough to grow full, heavy leaves. Weeds had to be kept out of the young tobacco, and hoeing and plowing also loosened the soil to encourage root growth and water movement; the crop was laid by when the leaves were too big to mule plow without damage. The leaves matured from the bottom up and were cropped when they were yellow and filled out to a mature weight. The flowers, called tops, were broken out so the plant could put strength into the leaves, and pests like the hornworm had to be controlled to keep their value up. Hands of 3-4 leaves were looped onto the stick with cotton string, a task typically done by women, and a fast stringer was a source of great pride. The strung tobacco was hung in the barn from the top down with enough space for airflow, and wood-fired heat first wilted and then slowly dried it to a golden brown; once dry, the leaves were unstrung and skillfully tied into hands to sell.