In South Carolina, the northernmost zone in the South where sugar cane can be grown, cane syrup was a non-essential but coveted crop that provided homegrown syrup. After harvest, cane stems were cut into sections with 3-4 joints and planted horizontally for transplanting. The growing stalks needed little care beyond weeding and pest control, and as a grass, sugar cane required nitrogen, with animal manure from the farm serving as the best fertilizer. The cane was harvested after the first frost by cutting the tough stalks near the ground with a machete or cane knife. Sharp leaves were then removed and shaved for mulch for the next year's crop, and the cleaned canes were stacked for pressing. Mule power drove the cane press while operators guided cut cane through rotating cogs that crushed the plant and squeezed raw juice from the stalk; a screen caught the largest organic material before the juice flowed into a catch basin. Presses were expensive and labor-intensive, so on syrup pressing days growers from nearby farms brought their crops to the press. Pressing periodically stopped so the mule could be hitched to a refuse sled to haul away the heavy spent stalks, called pomace, to a dump site. Operating the press required constant alertness because the mule-driven poles spun just inches from the operator's head, machinery could catch fingers or clothing and cost a limb, and overspill from the catch basin was wasteful and costly. The raw juice was then slowly boiled over a steady fire in a large cast iron syrup kettle, with kettle size varying by farm and community needs. As water steamed away, organic material floated to the top and had to be skimmed off. After hours of simmering and gallons of raw juice, the process yielded a sought-after sweet product that could be eaten, traded, or sold for much-needed cash, and the hot syrup was bottled in sterilized containers so refrigeration was unnecessary.