Spanish moss is more often prized for its charm than its cash value, but hundreds of persons make a living gathering it as a crop. Many persons think of it as a parasite, but it is in fact a fiber plant belonging to the pineapple family, using the tree from which it hangs mainly as an anchor and gaining its sustenance from the air. In the fall and winter, after blooming has ended and strands are the strongest, the moss is harvested by persons who pull it from the trees with long, hooked poles (above). They sell it to processors for $10 to $20 a ton. The moss must be cured in the sun, kept wet for three months or more so that the gray, outer bark will rot away and the tough, black inner fiber remain. The fiber is then dried and taken to a gin, where the fiber is separated from trash. Its use is mainly for furniture stuffing, in air conditioning filters and as packing material.

Photo is dated 1958.

Photo measures 8 x 10 inches.