SWEETNESS, GIVING YOU A TASTE OF THE SUGAR INDUSTRY

The original catalog description provided by the Ford Motor Company reads as follows: “Everyone uses sugar or syrup in some form or other. If you should follow the syrup drops and the sugar grains to their hones you would do a great deal of globetrotting.” “Mention Hawaii to anyone and thoughts of Waikiki Beach, the Ukulele, and the Hula Hula dance come to mind. But --” “Along those same Hawaiian beaches you will find cultivated fields for 80,000 acres in Hawaii yield 500,000 tons of raw sugar annually.” Panoramic views of fields of sugarcane. “Three gang-plows, drawn back and forth across the fields, prepare the ground for planting sugarcane.” Views of plows in field, stationary tractor with winch providing power. “It takes cane from one to two years to mature. It takes some waiters nearly that long to serve you with sugar.” View of partially cut cane field, horses and men in background. “Stalks are cut and trimmed in the fields.” View of workers cutting cane with machetes. “You would hesitate a long while before starting an argument with a cane cutter.” Workers in field cutting and trimming cane. “Most of them are Portuguese, queer of dress, wonderful of endurance.” Workers carrying bundles of cane, stacking them in piles. “Flumes, often 800 feet long, spanning deep gulches, carry cane to the sugar mills.” Workers placing cane into flume - panoramic view of flume spanning wide valley. “Not a tight wire act but a workman running along top of flume to prevent cane from becoming clogged.” Worker running along top of flume. “And then it is delivered to the mill.” Sugar mill on seacoast, flume running into mill, boat in background. “We will now cross the excitable Pacific into Canada to find out where the syrup drops come from.” Man with bucket walking through maple grove. “Only a drop in the bucket but there are many buckets, gathering many drops from many trees. The trunks of the maple give sugar to the world; its leaves give Canada a National emblem.” Worker drilling hole in trunk of maple, pounding in spout with hammer, hanging bucket under spout - syrup dropping into bucket - men beside fire in woods, large kettle over fire - worker carrying two buckets hung from yoke across his shoulders - baby playing with snowshoes beside fire. “Sleighing is still in vogue when the harvest of the maple sugar begins.” Worker with buckets on yoke emptying sap from buckets on trees into buckets on yoke. “The life blood of the maple.” Worker gathering sap into buckets on yoke. “The sugar moon appears in March. The maple trees are then tapped.” Worker pouring syrup into large kettle over fire, another stirring liquid in kettle. “The early methods of harvesting showed the ingenuity of man.” Man stirring contents of kettle. “A piece of pork, hung above the pot, kept it from boiling over. Pork is much higher today.” Close-up of pork over boiling liquid in kettle - men swinging kettle off of fire, ladling syrup into large bucket. “Small boys are strong believers in public ownership.” Small boy taking bucket from spout, sucking syrup directly from spout on tree. “Now and modern methods make the world sweeter by providing more sugar.” Workers attaching metal spout and bucket with cover to tap in maple tree - horse-drawn sleigh moving past on path. “Many drops fill a bucket, many buckets --” Worker emptying buckets on trees into bucket he is carrying. “The maple sugar workers look much like characters out of ‘Far North’ fiction, snow-shoes and all.” Workers wearing snowshoes emptying bucket on trees. “Later the sap is piped to the evaporator.” Workers pouring sap into pipes running to building. “Evaporators handle 350 gallons of sap an hour.” Worker tending sap in vat, spooning some into can. “Boiled, skimmed, and tested.” Worker pouring sap into evaporator. “Strained, re-boiled, put up for shipment.” Worker straining syrup through large glove-like bags into pots - worker placing cans and bottles under spigots - boy capping bottles. “Rough cakes are melted, beaten to lighten the color, and poured into molds.” Cakes being melted, beaten by mixer, and poured into large mold. “And then the perfect union.” Couple sitting at table eating, woman pouring syrup over pancakes. [1919]