how a sugar plantation maximize self sufficency
How were plantations organized to maximize self sufficiency
On a typical 18th century sugar plantation, self- sufficiency was promoted by the workers, fuel, water source, sugar works yard and sugar being on the plantation. The plantation was divided into three. One division was Cane Field and Cash Crops. Another was for Woodlands to provide timber for fuel to heat the boilers and for construction. The third was for farming to produces as much as possible for all who lived on the plantation or estate, half been set aside for producing food for the slaves. Persons living on the plantations mainly consisted of Africans Slaves and Whites. The Slaves were far and away the biggest group on the estate. Their houses were set apart from the estate buildings of the plantation in close proximity to fields to enable easier access to work. “As you enter the gates, there is along range of slave houses, like thatched cottages and a row of coconut trees and clumps of cotton trees.”[Lady Nugentp.28] . Their houses were made of wattle, mud or timber. The planter or his attorney in his absence would occupy the Great House. The other whites, overseers, bookkeepers etc. houses were located in close proximity to the Great House, which better enable them to supervise the slaves. The sugar works yard was located at the center of the plantation, a considerable walking distance away from the Great House. The sugar works yard consisted of the mill, the boiling house, the curing house, the distillery, the trash house and the workshops for skilled craftsmen like blacksmith and carpenters. These factory buildings were closely positioned so they did not have to travel far to get from one place to another. Each had its own function; the Mill was the places were the cane was crushed by huge rollers to extract the juice fed by the slaves using their hands. After the the juice was extracted it was sent to the Boiling House and the trash sent to the Trash house.
On a typical 18th century sugar plantation, self- sufficiency was promoted by the workers, fuel, water source, sugar works yard and sugar being on the plantation. The plantation was divided into three. One division was Cane Field and Cash Crops. Another was for Woodlands to provide timber for fuel to heat the boilers and for construction. The third was for farming to produces as much as possible for all who lived on the plantation or estate, half been set aside for producing food for the slaves. Persons living on the plantations mainly consisted of Africans Slaves and Whites. The Slaves were far and away the biggest group on the estate. Their houses were set apart from the estate buildings of the plantation in close proximity to fields to enable easier access to work. “As you enter the gates, there is along range of slave houses, like thatched cottages and a row of coconut trees and clumps of cotton trees.”[Lady Nugentp.28] . Their houses were made of wattle, mud or timber. The planter or his attorney in his absence would occupy the Great House. The other whites, overseers, bookkeepers etc. houses were located in close proximity to the Great House, which better enable them to supervise the slaves. The sugar works yard was located at the center of the plantation, a considerable walking distance away from the Great House. The sugar works yard consisted of the mill, the boiling house, the curing house, the distillery, the trash house and the workshops for skilled craftsmen like blacksmith and carpenters. These factory buildings were closely positioned so they did not have to travel far to get from one place to another. Each had its own function; the Mill was the places were the cane was crushed by huge rollers to extract the juice fed by the slaves using their hands. After the the juice was extracted it was sent to the Boiling House and the trash sent to the Trash house.