▁to ▁work ▁with . ▁Their ▁weight ▁is ▁due ▁to ▁their ▁large ▁size ▁and ▁the ▁added ▁weight ▁of ▁soil ; ▁slaves ▁lug ged ▁each ▁stack ▁to ▁the ▁" string er " ▁or ▁" lo oper ", ▁typically ▁a ▁female ▁slave , ▁who ▁bund led ▁each ▁stack ▁of ▁leaves . ▁Event ually , ▁workers ▁carried ▁the ▁to b acco ▁and ▁placed ▁it ▁on ▁s led s ▁or ▁tra ilers . ▁ ▁As ▁the ▁industrial ▁revolution ▁approached ▁America , ▁the ▁har vest ing ▁w ag ons ▁that ▁transport ed ▁leaves ▁were ▁equ ipped ▁with ▁man ▁power ed ▁string ers , ▁an ▁appar atus ▁that ▁used ▁tw ine ▁to ▁attach ▁leaves ▁to ▁a ▁pole . ▁In ▁modern ▁times , ▁large ▁fields ▁are ▁har v ested ▁by ▁a ▁single ▁piece ▁of ▁farm ▁equipment , ▁though ▁to pping ▁the ▁flower ▁and ▁in ▁some ▁cases ▁the ▁pl uck ing ▁of ▁imm ature ▁leaves ▁is ▁still ▁done ▁by ▁hand . ▁ ▁Some ▁far mers ▁still ▁use ▁" to b acco ▁har vest ers ". ▁They ▁are ▁not ▁very ▁efficient ▁yet ▁highly ▁cost ▁effective ▁for ▁har vest ing ▁prem ium ▁and ▁rare ▁stra ins ▁of ▁to b acco . ▁The ▁har v ester ▁tra ilers ▁for ▁in - dem and ▁cro ps ▁are ▁now ▁pulled ▁by ▁dies el ▁fue led ▁tra ctors . ▁" C ro ppers " ▁or ▁" prim ers " ▁pull ▁the ▁leaves ▁off ▁in ▁hand ful s ▁and ▁pass ▁these ▁to ▁the ▁" string er " ▁or ▁" lo oper ", ▁which ▁bund les ▁the ▁leaves ▁to ▁a