The Sugar Cultivation Process

SUGAR PRODUCTION PROCESS
 Cultivating/planting: The field slaves prepared the land for
cultivation at the end of August. The slaves dug the holes, put animal
manure in them, then placed cane cuttings called ratoons and lightly
covered them with soil. The canes were planted just before the rainy
season, as they grew, the slaves weeded the fields, moulded (refilled
the holes with soil that was removed). The canes removed the dry
trash from the cane stock. The canes took 14- 18 months to mature.
 Harvesting: When the canes were ripe the slaves, armed with
machetes and cutlasses, cut the canes and removed the outer leaves.
The reaped canes were then tied into bundles and transported to the
mill in carts or wagons within 48 hours to prevent deterioration of the
sucrose content.
MANUFACTURING OF SUGAR

After the canes were unloaded they were fed by hand into the mill, which
consisted of three pairs of rotating iron rollers. Here the canes were crushed
and the juice was extracted. The extracted juice was conveyed by a gutter
from the mill to the boiling house where it was emptied into the copper
clarifier called the syphon where it was heated with white lime. The
impurities rose as scum to the surface and were skimmed off and put aside
to be used in the making of rum. The head boiler ladled the purified juice into
successive boilers where it was boiled. There were about three to six boilers,
each smaller and hotter than the previous one, hung over a fire. As the hot
juice passed through the boilers, it was constantly stirred by the slaves until
it became thick and dark brown in colour. After it boiled for some time, the
head boiler tested its readiness by stretching the mixture between his thumb
and forefinger. This is the crystallization process. The sugar crystals mixed
with molasses were ladled into large troughs to cool. After the sugar had
cooled, it was placed on sloping platforms for about three weeks to allow the
molasses to drain off. The molasses was collected and later used in the
making of rum. The sugar which remained in the barrels was called
muscovado. The barrels were sealed and ready for shipment. The sealed
barrels of sugar crystals were loaded onto carts and taken to the coast. They
were loaded and rolled onto the canoes which took them to the waiting
ships. On arrival in Europe, the sugar was further refined at one of the chief
ports. This process made the sugar crystals finer.
From the Caribbean to Britain
The planter would have made prior arrangements with a merchant, agent or
consignee to collect the shipment of sugar as it arrives at the port in
England. One such port would be Liverpool or Bristol. He paid the shipping
cost and customs duties charged on entry.

The agent made arrangements to store the shipment of hogsheads in a
warehouse until the time of sale. He awaited the best price, especially since
he was usually paid on a commission basis. Porters at the dock eagerly
unloaded the hogshead for him from the ship to the waiting carts. He then
hired and paid draymen to transport the goods to the warehouse that he had
selected.
As per arrangement with the warehouse, he was charged insurance in case
of fire and or theft. The latter was fairly common in those days. He paid rent
to the warehouse manager.
The next day or so, he sold the sugar to the highest bidder or hires a broker
to do this for him. After the goods had been sold he paid the broker if he had
hired one, and then subtracted his commission. According to the
arrangement that he had with the planter, the rest was usually deposited.
Depending on the relationship that he shared with the planter, the latter
might have requested certain items or consumer goods such as crockery,
items of clothing, watches, etc. These would have been sourced and shipped
to the planter at the next convenient departure of ships for the Caribbean.
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