There are still 5 tobacco drying sheds in the commune, one of which has been transformed into a house (N°52 ter rue de Blois). Another, destroyed to make way for new housing, stood at the top of the rue d’Enfer, at the junction with the rue de la Noiraie.
Tobacco drying sheds were set up in the valley around 1950. Tobacco growing, which was lucrative at the time, provided farmers with additional income for about twenty years.
Harvesting and drying.
The leaves are gathered in bundles held together by burlap straps. As soon as they are unloaded in the shed, the bundles of leaves are handed over for threading. A needle of about 1.50m is used to thread the leaves onto a string of about 1.50m length, at equal distance, to promote drying. The rib face should be on the same side every other time. After threading, three strings of tobacco are tied together with an S-hook. The next day, they are hung in the dryer. At the beginning of November, the preparation of the manoques begins, which consists of making bundles of 25 dried leaves. A rigorous sorting of the leaves is necessary. Leaves with tears or holes are put aside. The 25th leaf is the one rolled up at the end of the manoque.
The manufacture and sale of tobacco and matches was a state monopoly until 1976. Production was to be taken over by the National Society for the Industrial Exploitation of Tobacco and Matches (SEITA).