The Bitter Cauldron
Boiling Down The Sweet: The Iron Heart of Barbados' Sugar Industry Sugar in Barbados. Sugarcane growing began in Barbados in the early 1640s, when Dutch merchants came to help with sugar cane harvesting. The island's soil and favourable climate made it an ideal location for harvesting sugar. By the mid-17th century, Barbados had become one of the wealthiest colonies in the British Empire, earning the nickname "Little England."By the mid-17th century, Barbados had turned into one of the wealthiest nests in the British Empire, making the label "Little England." But all was not sweetness in the land of Sugar as we discover next: Boiling Sugar: A Grueling Job Sugar production in the days of colonial slavery was an unforgiving process. After collecting and crushing the sugarcane, its juice was boiled in huge cast iron kettles up until it turned into sugar. These pots, typically set up in a series called a"" train"" were warmed by blazing fi...