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various steps in sugar making as we could inspect the machines closely.
The cane is brought up from the fields in ox carts, right to the foot of a conveyor belt which carries it up to the first set of rollers which rolls it and cuts it until it is in coarse pieces. The cane is any way from 1 year to 18 months old when it is declared fit for manufacture. There are 3 sets of rollers each one squeezes the pulp a little finer and in the case of the last roller a fine spray plays on the cane so as to give it more moisture with which to take out the [[strikethrough]] juice [[/strikethrough]] other juice.
The juices fall into a trough which carries them to settling vats, and the now almost dry cane is carried on belts to the furnace to be burnt.
In the days when rum was made on the Estates this cane was further treated with water - rum is really a bi-product of sugar - but now there is no use for it except burning. The Estates no longer manufacture rum as they joined the Rum Pool to help keep up the price of rum. They in turn limit the supply, by not manufacturing, yet they share in the

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profits of the Pool.
In the settling vats the juice is mixed with lime to bring the impurities to the top in a scum, which is removed. This is rarely done at Caymanas Estates due to the fine quality of the cane.
From the vats the sugar goes to the boilers, of which there are 4. 
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In the base of each boiler is set holes to catch the heavy material which is boiled out. The vapor and lighter water goes over to the next boiler to be subjected to greater pressure.
The last boiler is where they test the molasses. The last step is the bagging of the raw sugar. They do no refining at the Caymanas Estates as the do not think it pays. They make a better profit selling the sugar locally and not having to worry about shipping and refinery. However in the new factory they have left a space for a small refinery if they should ever need it.
From the factory we went for a drive over the Estates. We drove over Dawkins (the estate previously was owned by Col. Dawkins) Caymanas first. There we saw several fields of cane which had been burnt off. After the cane is harvested the rest of the stubble and