Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-01-20

nearly filled, the temperature is raised to
about $50 deg, when quantity OF mix
of lime is added which soon causes
heavy yiscid scum to rise upon the top.
W hen, in the judgment of the operator
the process has sufficiently progressed,
the steam is shut off and the clear juice
drawn off to the carbonation pans, where
TIE excess of lime Is eliminated by for
cling through it streams of carbonic acid.
gas. From them it passes to the filters,
which are upright cylinders from to 3
feet in diameter, and IL or Is feet high,
filled with granulated comeback, which
effectuaIIy removes all remaining impur
tiles and color. The juice, after being
slightly concentrated, is again Uttered,
when it is ready to be boiled into sugar.
The operation is now conducted IN va
euum pans and is the most difficult part
of the whole process. The spans" are
large. air tight, dome like structures,
sometimes holding several thousand gal
Ions of syrup, when is boiled in yacuo by
means of coils of steam pipe in the bot
tom. The vacuum is maintained by
means of vapor pipe passing to con-
denser and air pump.
By boiling in vacuo the syrup is pre-
served fromthe in furious effect OF the air
and boils at a much lower temperature
and evaporates much faster than in open
pans.
When concentrated to the proper point
the semi liquid, mingled sugar and syr'
up is run into coolers, where 1t stands
until sufficiently graduated to run of IN
to the ceutrifugals, where tho sugar is
separated from the syrup in the same
manner that the juice is from the pulp.
The molasses may be again reboiled,
each time giving an inferior quality OF
sugar until it is no longer profitable,
when it may be used for distillation, ITS
disagreeable taste and odor rendering 1t
unfit for culinary purposes.
1t is ofcourse impossible in the limits
of newspaper article, to give full de-
tails, but any one interested in the SUBJ
iect may obtain any information in the
power of the writer (who is practical
sugar refinery, TO give, by addressing
him.
The cost of factory capable of wor-
king 1900 lbs. of beets daily, would
be from $4,000 to $4,000. All the
machinery necessary can be procured in
this country, one firm, Messrs. Merlick
d Sons, of Philadelphia, making speci-
atty of sugar machinery, aud who would
probably furnish estimates to Interested
parties.
The skilled labor required for facto-
nv of the above capacity, working the.pro-
duct of 500 acres, would be manager,
sugar boiler, defecator, filterman and en-
gineer, the ether hands required needing
no previous experience.
The profits of the business may he ap
proximately calculated as follows:
suga, from 100000 lbs. beets
Goo days run) at per cent
sugar l2c per Id SI4l,OOo
100000 lbs pulp, 1c 2,700
5000 gals. Molasses a 25c. l,OOO
I47.7OO
Animal exnenses and interest, say 10000
LCaves net profit of, say, $HoOO
OF course a smaller establishment may
be put up ut smaller expense. but one
of this size would pay better.
There is no better time than the pres
ent to commence such operations, as the
present troubles in Cuba will prevent
our drawing our accustomed supply from
that island. Havana papers are now
confidently predicting that common
brown sugar will bring forty cents per
pound this current season. There is
now plenty of time TO form stock COM
panies and have factories running before
the next fall, when sugar will have prob
ably reached a fabulous price.
A beet sugar factory should be situa-
ted where there is good soil, cheap labor
and fuel, and abundance of pure water.
There is probably no state better adapted
to this industry than Wisconsin. and it
is to be hoped that the enterprise of its
citizens will be successfully exerted and
rewarded.
At present there are but two factories
of any importance in the U. S.-one at
Chatsworth, I'll. and the other at Fond
du Lac, Wis. The last named has but
Just started, but is reported to be pros
pering. The former from various causes
failed to be very remunerative at first
but is hoped will make up for it in the
future.
There is still another source from
which sugar may be derived: the CON-
mon pumpkin, which contains about A
per ct. of sugar, which after refining is
equal to beet. The raw sugar has n
slight but not unpleasant flavor of melon.
The process of manufacture is Identical
with the beet and in some localities might
perhaps be successfully carried on. There
are now several factories in Hungary
which use the pumpkin exclusively.
The amount of beet sugar manufac-
tured in Europe in 1868, was 100000
tons, as follows:
France, 100000 Tons
Germany, 10000
Russia, 81 500
Austria, 90 500
Belgium, 30 500 "
Poland and Sweden, $4,000