The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1859-06-25
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Sugar Making on Cuba Plantation.


Sugar Making on a Cuba Plantation
| A correspondent of The Century describes
the process of making sugar in Cuba. Those
who have tried the experiment of making
syrup from sorghum W i'll read the subjoined
sketch with INTEREST,"
In the afternoon we went to the sugar-h house
and | was initiated into the mysteries of the
work. There are four agents: steam, fire
cane juice and negroes. The results are sugar
and molasscs. AT this ingeuo, they make
only the Museovado, or brown sugar The
processes arc easily described, but it is diff
cult to give an idea of the scene. 1t IS one oi
condensed and determined labor.
To begin ut thc.4 stining. The cane is cut
from the fields by companies of men and
women, working together, who use an instru-
ment called machetc, which is something
between sword and a clever. Two blows
with this slash Of the long leaves, and IL third
blow cuts off the stalk, near to the ground
AT this work, the laborers move like rrapcrs
in even lines at stated distances. Before
them is a field Of dense, highwaving cane
and behind them, strcwn wrecks of stalks and
leaves. Near, and in charge of the party.
stands a driver, or more gran-diioquentlv, a
contrd-mayoril, with the short. timber plan
taton whip, the badge OF his office, under his
arm.
Ox-carts pass over the field and are loaded
with the cane, which they carry to the mill
The oxen are worked Spanish fashion, the
yoke being strapped upon the head, close to
The horns instead of being hung round the
| neck, as with u.s. and are guided by goads
and rope attached to ring through the
nostrils. At the mill, the cane is tipped from
the cart into large piles, by the side Of the
platform. From these piles, it is placed
carefully, by hand, lengthwisc, in long
trough. This trough is made of Stats. and
moved by the power of the endless chain
connected with the engine. In this trough il
is carried between heavy, horizontal, cyIind-
rical rollers where it is crushed, its juice
falling into receivers below, and the crushed
cane passing off and falling into Il pile on the
other side.
This crushed cane (bagazo.) falling from
between the rollers, is gathered into baskets
by men and women, who carry it ON theil
heads into the fields and spread it for drying.
There it is watched and tended as carefully
as new-mown grass in hay making. and rakel
into cocks or wInrowS on an alaim Of rain.-
When dry, it is placed under sheds for ~
lection from wet. From the sheds ana from
the fields, il is loaded into carts and DRAWN to
the furnace doors, into which it is thrown by
negroes, who crowd it in by the armtul and
rake it about with long poles. Here it feeds
the perpetual fires by which the steam is
made, the machinery moved, and the cane
juice boiled. The care Of the bagAzo is an
important part of the system for if thai
becomes wet and fails, the frs must stop
| or resort be had to wood which is scarce and
expensive.
Thus, on one side of the rollers is the cease
less current Of fresh, full, juicy canestalks
just cut from the open field and on the other
side, is the crushed, mAnglrd, iniceless mass
| drifting out at the drauglt, and iii only to bl
cast into the oven and burned. This is the
way OF the world. as it is the course of art
The cane is made to destroy itself. Tn
ruined and corrupted furnish the fuel thai
lures on and draws in and brushes the fresh
and wholesome; and the operation seem:
about as mechanical and unceasing in on,
| case as in the other.
From 'he rollers the juice falls below into
large receiver, from which it flows into great
open watts. called deircators. The duiecatur!
are heated by exhausted steam Of the engine
| led through them in pipes. A II the steau
condensed forms water, which is returned
warm to the boiler of the engine. In tn,
dctecators as their name denotes, the scum O
the juice is plugged oil so far aShcat alone il
| do it. From the last dGiccatOr, the Juice il
| passed through trough into the first caldron
or the cIidronS. there is series, or. as the,
call it, a train, through all Of which the Juice
must 60. Each caldron is large, deep
| copper vat, heated very hot, in which til,
| juice sccthes and bOils. At each stands ;
strong negro. with a long heavy skinner il
his hand, stirring the juice and STUNNING OF
surface. This scum is collected and given Il
| the hogs, or thrown upon the muck heap, anC
is said to be very fructiiying. The juice il
| iadied from one cald:on to the next as fas
as the Office Of each is finished. From tht
last adron, where its complete crySta lliZatiol
is effected, it is transferred to coolers. which
arc large. shallow pans. When fully cooled
| it looks like brown sugar and molasScs mixed
1t is then shovcled from the coolers int,
hogshcads. These hogshcads have hole
| bored in their bottoms: and to facilitate
drainage, strips Of cane arc placed in til,
hogshcads, with their ends in these holes anC
the hogshead is flied. The hogshcads arr
Set upon open frames. under which are cope
receivers on an inclined plane to catch an,
carry Of the drippings from the hogSheads-
These clippings are the molasses, which i
collected and pat into tight casks.
| believe | have given the entire process
| When it is remembered that all this in ever
stage is going on at once, within the limits o
the mill. it may well be supposed to present
busy scene. The smell of the juice and suga
vapor, in all its stages is intense. The negroe
tattrn on it. The clanck of the engine, tn
steady grind of the machines, and the high
wild cry OF the negroes at the caldrons to til
strokors at the furnace doors, as they chan
out their directions or wants now for NOR
fire, and now to scatter the lire--which mus
be heard above the din, and the barbara
African chant and chorus Of the gang at wor
filling the cane troughs-all these max
the first visit TO suglr-house strange tx
perience.