CHAP. II.] 
WEST INDIES. 
35 
CHAPTER IL 
Crop-time the season of health and festivity.—Mills for 
grinding the canes.—Of the cane-juice , and its compo¬ 
nent parts.—Process for obtaining raw or muscovado 
sugar. — Melasses , and its disposal.—Process of making 
clayed sugar.—Of rum.—Still houses and stills. — Cis¬ 
terns, and their ingredients.—Windward Island pro¬ 
cess.—Jamaica method of double distillation.—Due 
quantity of rum from a given quantity of sweets , as¬ 
certained and stated. 
^T^HE time of crop in the Sugar Islands, is the 
A season of gladness and festivity to man and 
beast. So palatable, salutary, and nourishing is the 
juice of the cane, that every individual of the ani¬ 
mal creation, drinking freely of it derives health 
and vigour from its use. The meagre and sickly 
among the negroes exhibit a surprising alteration 
in a few weeks after the mill is set in action. The 
labouring horses, oxen and mules, though almost 
constantly at work during this season, yet, being 
indulged with plenty of the green tops of this no¬ 
ble plant, and some of the scummings from the 
