The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-03-26
From the Prairie Farmer
BEET SUGAR IN ILLINOIS.

| Euiope diso oescTloeU an enterprise ina
had been commenced at Chatsworth, il
this State, by the Messrs. GeEnert Bros
expecting at that time the whole estat
llshment would soon be under full op
Grafton. We described the establish
ment as 1t was designed to be when read
Tor work, and as it was expected to be b,
the time the crop, then growing would b.
fully gathered
The difficulty of obtaining machinery t.
complete the work, with some other di:
appointments, arising from an unfortunat,
Misunderstanding between parties inter
ested in the project, prevented the factory
from being completed until cold weather
come on, when it put stop to any fur.
ther efforts TO set the machinery runnin.
until about the middle of February, wher
some experiments were made, but under
great difficulties from continued inter.
ruptlons from freezing of pipes, dc.
The weather becoming more mild the
last Of February, we went to Chatsworth
and spent here most of the time for two
weeks, in carefully watching and taking
part IN experiments to test the SUGAR
quality Of the beet and the facility with
which it could be extracted. The process
Of which, we will describe:
The beeta are brought TO the house
where ey are washed, topped and sx~
amlned, If any parts are decayed they are
cut Oft or the whole discarded They are
then taken 20 the crater which is a tcoth-
cd cylinder, about two feet in diameter.
which IS driven at high rat. Of speed 4;
the bects are fed up To il by pair of
plungeTs, alternately bearing iAe beet
against the cylinder, the pulp being caugh t
ii an iron tank below, where it comes out
very fiEe, and white as snow. From this
machine il IS taken to the centrifugal ma,
chine wherein a charge Of about tho huu-
drcd pounds Of pulp IS placed IT once. Ii
reyolv"s al u rapid speed, the juice being
all thrown ont by the centrifugal force
leaving the pulp quite dry this occupies
but few moments. The juice Is thea
transferred TO suitable tanks where IL Is
clarified preparatory 10 boiling down
When partially boiled it j. customary to
ran the mass through animal charcoal
filters, TO neutrality the clarifying agent.
As the filters were not ready 10 use here
other methods had 10 be re=orted 10,
though slower ana more tedious, requiring
the rc-haadliug Of the Juice several times
The eyaporatiug was dous. ~ the fr.,
trial. in 4 small kettle with a steam coil
which made this operation rather sioa
every moment. LsiuE anXi0us!y watched
- note the progress. Wien having
reached consistency supposed 10 lie
right FOR grNnula,ing il was taken of and
sc: in warm room for the night, With
many anxious feelings ve a7r.oacEed
the vessel holding it, the next morning,
when 10 our gT-g' '-t,ht the whole macs
had cry s;alized t.cm top 70 bottom, show
ing large and 81 'rndld crystals @! sugar.
Nht-A after standing tweuty-iour hours
longer, was allowed - drain. when not
more than - Ter csat. O: it drained out
much ot which was sugar this would
have been less had i been allowed 70
=trui longer.
Knowing that 'oEe swallow does not
make q sG-2mrg. the operation was re-
Eca,ed several times during the succeed
Ing day-. Isuts'ltatiLE a Cock ; t,re eyarD~
Tator for boiling down the juice part way.
only because he ra.-t engine stsl not fur
u.sA steam enough 10 run tA@ machinery
eu3 boil e.. The same time The result.
~ere the same ia every instance. except
that Tie quicker !. Was carried through
tbs process, tLe lighter c0.0.Cd sugar It
made and the better II craaElE;c3, yield
iar but small per cent Of silup.
We regret that .r vas no: n our p0vc,
to test definitely, the actIa! Weld from
hundred lbs OF Ucels AS the Juice had
10 be ref, ated.y handled, ami dIpped and
wasted ia fitcriug through temporary III
tar>. &c, muCA les WAS experienced. aad
.Ae ,ect- did not give IS good a WELD Of
sugar st this .casou a. earlier. il was ia
:Cs''p.e u mako an accurate test, bUt
from .Ae best q our Judgment, we think
inat e Yield OF fully . per cen, was OBJ
taiael, which would doubtless. witt every
thi.g!u order and earlier in the season.
have yielded fully or 3 per cent more.
Euougb was done TO show the richness
Of the beet and that the extracting Of the
sugar IS attended with no difficulties not
easily surmoUnted, and established fully
in our mind the enterprise to be q COM E
plete success, the future effect of which.
it seems To us, must be to nlaks our broad
and fertile pra!r:es the great sugar field of
the Continent, and Chicago the grestest
sugar market Of the States; as it is already
Of Grain, Lumber, Beef and Pork
The whole experiment, so far, has
shown that in one OF the worst of seasons,
a crop Of beGts can be ground here, fully
equal in amount 10 the best average OF
European crops, and with a favorable
season we may expect a larger average
Weld. 1t has been shown that by proper
pi;ting they can,be kept with quite an in
different covering through one OF the
hardest winters on record, coming out Ct
the pits at the season of the year perfectly
sound and crisp. 1t has shown by a care
ful analysis of the beets that they Are as
rich in sacharine matter as those Of the
old countries-giving l25 per cent Of crys-
talizable cane sugar, and g per cent of
other soluble impurities. 1t has shown
~ 1t 81 10
prevent the ready extraction of the sugar
from them.
The variety OF beet grown vas principal
~ the Imperial sugar oeet, a cut OF which
we give at the head ef this article; the
beets grow very regularly, the root seldom
dividing making them very easily cleaned
and prepared for working up The most
desirable size to have th, N grow Is from
3 to ! pounds.
That the facilities Of the West are Pc
cularly adapted to the enterprise the iol-
lowing comparison Of ofexpences in Europe
and here viii show;
EXPENSES IN GERMANY.
Cost Of beets at factory, generally, IS cts
per 81 lbs
Government excise duty, IS cents pei
loo Ihs
Rent ef land, SIS to $25 per acre
which land is generally cultivated on the
rotation plan, beets not occupying the
same land of;ener than once in three
wears. These lands have to be manureo
very highly to keep them IN condition te
grow good crops. -,
Fuel, principally coal, costs from Slt
! to 500 per tun, and is of inferior quality
/ at that.
Labor-feld hands average from s. t'
per week.
Usual price of refined sugar, ! to Z! cts
The past year the crop has been hgh
and manufacturers paid 2G cents per on
hundred pounds for beets causing sugar
to advaece TO 81 cents per pound.
An cran iS cAnSiGarad to be !