Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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CLINTON MILLS \ OCTOBER, 1971 "A truck load of cam about three gallons of syruj ?LESTER I\ I The hint of falls' first frost this year among Mac Leese Cunningham and neighbor, Lester Ivester, a retired Clir cuui JV - La uiaiuiig Ldiic syi up. James Comptdn planted an acre watched it flourish during the summei and Cunningham chopped the cane anc preparation for extracting the sweet c The operation has drawn friends, around to watch the grinding operatior The Cornptons set the mill up at Sa off Highway 308. ' But it was James* idea to start tl was originally owned by G.W. Cunnin brothers. The cane mill which is mounted or 1 tractor frame cranks out juice as the s In past years a mule was used U Comptons and Cunninghams rigged u series of belts and pulleys smashed out i of hours. > 4, Published By and For Employ 5 yields r a "ESTER X;A"' t's Fall At t has inspired a generations old ritual his nephew, James Compton, and iton Mills Old Timer. The ritual - of of sugar cane, and the men have r, and as fall approached, Compton 1 stripped off its leaves and seeds in :ane juice. neighbors, and others from miles i and swap stories about yesteryear, m Compton's Sales and Service just le mill again," noted Sam. The mill gham, grandfather of the Compton l a pre-1900 International Harvester talks are hand fed into the machine. ) power the mill, but this year the p a gasoline engine and utilizing a \ truck load of sugar cane in a matter ILOTHI ees of Clinton Mills, Clinton, S.C. U ' .H B^l . ?~!L^ ? Clinton Mil "It takes about 10 gallons of Cunningham, who is a Plant No. "After the cane juice is squeezi is a long sectioned, boiling vat tha says Cunningham. "The evaporator is located at r The cane juice is cooked for se around in the vat with a wooden bl< prevents any sticking or scorchini A truck load of cane makes atx about three gallons of syrup. The juice must be prepared for and dark. It is constantly stirred an froth of imDurities. Once cooked, it is strained, co later. "The thick, dark syrup just g butter," says Cunningham. "It's a hard job and most yoi operation, but it's well worth the ef n urn mm mma^m m VOL. 25 - NO. 1 * Dane syrup goes natural with ze biscuits." ?MAC CUNNINGHAM ijmi jw m ? Is juice to make a gallon of syrup," says 2 Weaving employee, ed out, it is taken to an evaporator which t the syrup will eventually come from," ny nephew James' house," he continued, veral hours as someone works the juice x:k with a cloth wrapped around it. This >ut 30 gallons of juice, and this will yield Ho f*irrHf m -4 - ? wiv- I tguv aiiiwum \Jl 111 11C, lUllll 11 12> U11CK d skimmed at times to remove a bubbling oled, and poured into containers for use ;oes natural with fist size biscuits and ung people aren't too interested in the fort when it comes to eating,M he added.