Sugarcane was grown in the Old South? Plantation owners always had a cherished plot devoted to cane.
The juice was extracted with horse or mule powered crushers. It was boiled in a flat pan until it was a savory syrup. Hot buttered biscuits with cane syrup sounds just ambrosial. Why do my posts always make me so hungry? 'Syrup time' was a social affair!
The community would gather at the mill to socialize and daydream about this savory sweetener.