82 THE CHINESE SUGAR CANE. 
known to descend lower than 65° Fahrenheit in the 
open air. 
BUILDINGS. 
Situated as near as possible in the center of the planta- 
tion, is found “the mill and boiling-house,” with their 
appurtenances of negro-house, cattle-sheds, bagasse 
house, &c., &. A central position for these is selected, 
so as to be equally distant from all the cane fields, unless 
some equally important objection against it should arise. 
Such might be the absence of water, &c. This is first to 
be looked for before putting up the buildings, which are 
generally stone structures, with a large chimney, sixty to 
ninety feet high, into which all the flues of the boiling- 
house and engine lead. The chimney is the most im- 
portant part of the whole establishment. If this should 
be too small, or should not draw properly, it puts a stop 
to everything. Steam cannot be got up in the boilers, 
therefore the mill cannot work; the sugar trains only 
partially boil, and general consternation prevails. Such 
a calamity, however, seldom happens, unless a planter 
- should have foolishly added an additional train of kettles 
to an already overtaxed flue, or changed his machinery 
from a cattle mill to asteam mill, without enlarging his 
chimney, or building a separate one for his boilers. ‘The 
remedy.in the first case is easy; in the second, an ad- 
ditional chimney has to be run up with all speed. Acci- 
dents like these are great annoyances to planters, being 
seldom discovered until the last moment, and whenevery 
day is valuable. 
