Demerara Sugar Production. 15 
side down, and the contents fall into the pug mill. By 
this means the curing is much cleaner and quicker than 
it used to be, and the recovery is much higher, for it has 
been found that sugar goes on crystallising while cooling 
after it leaves the pan, and the more rapid the cooling 
the greater the crystallisation. The curing is effected by 
WESTON'S centrifugals, each one able to dry a ton of sugar 
in two hours with the greatest ease. The dry sugar falls 
on to a traveller which lands it into a trough, emptied by 
ascending scoops fastened on to an endless belt, called a 
f Jacob's ladder', which carries it into the sugar store. 
How different to the process twenty years ago. There 
were sugar diggers, masse-cuite carriers and slow centri- 
fugals, each with its attendant woman with her tray which 
was filled by having the sugar lifted 'into it, Then she had 
to start, with a huge tray of sugar on her head, for quite a 
long walk, part of which would be up a steep flight of 
stairs. When I first came to this country, I once asked a 
sugar curer boss why women were always employed for 
this work, and my English ears were startled by being 
informed, ' Boss ! you doesn't know that women's necks 
was made to carry weights.' 
When the sugar gets into the store, it falls on to a 
sifter, which arrests any lumps. Twenty years ago it was 
tossed about by spades, and there was a ridiculous idea 
current the other side of the Atlantic that the lumps in 
the sugar were caused by the trampling of the bare feet 
of the labourers. I remember one estate that used to 
provide a sort of canvas boot for the feet of those em- 
ployed in the sifting and filling of the sugar. I think 
that these boots were probably much dirtier than the feet 
that they covered ; for after all, in those races that do 
