Raising Cane

By Scott Cross
Published on September 1, 2008
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Left to right: Tom Jeffrey, Tony Woodrum and Sam Woodrum (Tony's dad) keep busy skimming and moving the juice along in the pan. Below left: Jerry Bohm gets the crushed cane out of the way while Leon Ramey keeps the mill clear of debris.
Left to right: Tom Jeffrey, Tony Woodrum and Sam Woodrum (Tony's dad) keep busy skimming and moving the juice along in the pan. Below left: Jerry Bohm gets the crushed cane out of the way while Leon Ramey keeps the mill clear of debris.
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It's a delicate balance between the fire and keeping the pan cooking right.
It's a delicate balance between the fire and keeping the pan cooking right.
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Jerry Bohm, feeding the mill. The Great Western mill was manufactured by Blymyer Iron Works Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873. A 2-horse mill, it was designed to be powered by animals via sweep arms atop the mill. A century later, this mill has been modified to run off power generated by a Ford Bronco engine.
Jerry Bohm, feeding the mill. The Great Western mill was manufactured by Blymyer Iron Works Co., Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1873. A 2-horse mill, it was designed to be powered by animals via sweep arms atop the mill. A century later, this mill has been modified to run off power generated by a Ford Bronco engine.
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A nice steady flow of juice keeps the
A nice steady flow of juice keeps the "make house" guys happy. The Great Western mill was advertised as capable of generating 80 gallons of juice per hour, or processing 3-5 tons of cane in 12 hours.
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Sam Woodrum (left) and Tom Jeffrey still enjoying themselves after a long day.
Sam Woodrum (left) and Tom Jeffrey still enjoying themselves after a long day.
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This is what you work for keeping a nice level of cooking at all times.
This is what you work for keeping a nice level of cooking at all times.
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Jerry Bohm gets the crushed cane out of the way while Leon Ramey keeps the mill clear of debris.
Jerry Bohm gets the crushed cane out of the way while Leon Ramey keeps the mill clear of debris.
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Plowing the cane field, with the make house in the background.
Plowing the cane field, with the make house in the background.
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Brandon Woodrum plowing the cane field on the author's 1961 Cub Cadet.
Brandon Woodrum plowing the cane field on the author's 1961 Cub Cadet.
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Jerry Bohm on the author's Cub Cadet pulling the planter built by Tony Woodrum, who follows with a stick to knock down the seed as necessary. Not all of this stuff is high tech.
Jerry Bohm on the author's Cub Cadet pulling the planter built by Tony Woodrum, who follows with a stick to knock down the seed as necessary. Not all of this stuff is high tech.
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Trailer load of cane.
Trailer load of cane.
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The proof is in the chewing: Molasses crinkle cookies made by the author's wife, Jill Cross.
The proof is in the chewing: Molasses crinkle cookies made by the author's wife, Jill Cross.
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The mill after another day of work.
The mill after another day of work.

I am very fortunate to have friends who believe in keeping traditions alive.

One of them, Tony Woodrum, Barboursville, W.Va., tries his best to make sure that the old ways are passed on to people who might not otherwise get exposed to those traditions. One of which is making sorghum molasses.

Tony works on a farm owned by family friend Tom Jeffrey, also of Barboursville. Tom’s father, Millard F. Jeffrey, bought the farm in 1908 with his father and brother-in-law. Millard’s stake in the 138-acre parcel was $900. Beginning at age 9, Millard worked in lumber-camp kitchens. When he was 11, the cook died and Millard took over, preparing meals for 27 men. He saved his money and by the time he was 22, he had saved $900 in $20 gold pieces. His father and brother-in-law raised their shares by cutting railroad ties, which they sold for 25 cents each.

Millard married in 1910, the same year he began raising cane. His was one of the only mills in the area, so after he completed his own ‘make’ of sorghum, he generated extra income by using his equipment to make the syrup at other farms. When he produced syrup for others, sorghum sold for about 10 cents a gallon; most of the time he’d work for one-third of what his customers sold. Millard quit making sorghum molasses in 1939 when he lost his equipment to a flood after the season had ended.

Cub Cadets help revivedecades-old operation

Half a century later, in 1988, Tom Jeffrey resumed the operation. He bought a mill that year, and a new pan in 1991. Tony was familiar with the mill, having worked on it as a boy of 9 or 10, when a different man owned it. Today, Tom is showing Tony the ropes, but the master doesn’t give up working the pan easily, even if sitting in front of a fire all day at 85 years of age is starting to get a little harder to do.

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