The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1878-05-02

IS the sugar obtained from the beets:
Granting that one has good sugar beets,
how is the sugar to be extracted from
them?
OF course in the limits of this article
we can not go into the various opera
tons as fully as we could wish. and
hence we shall strive TO give merely
such an outline as will serve to convey
a fair conception Of the manufacture
ing processes.
We are very happy in being able to
quote from one who, to use his own
words, has "been for years engaged
in manufacturing cane, grape, and
beet sugar, DIR. w. G. Siam of Oswego,
Y. Y.
DIR. Siam. has most kindly written
for the FARMER M MECHANIC, an ac-
count of the practical working Of a
beet sugar mandatory, and we avail
ourselves of his account.
The beet as it comes from the ground
must be washed first Of all. DR.. STAN
a V washed and cleaned. i. G. washed
till clean. Most of the operations, in
fact nearly all, are performed by ma
chinery. Thus the washing, grinding,
expressing the juice, the first three
operations at the establishment, a
performed by machinery.
The juice is expressed in three (3)
ways.
(a) by hydraulic pressure.
(b) by centrifugal machines.
(c) by maceration,
The juice is not only a solution Of
sugar, but contains also the soluble
constituents of the beet. in which nj
trogenous and mineral substances are
very prominent Wagner p. 373 Chem.
Tech.) If allowed to remain exposed
to the air, a brown-red, or dark col
ored precipitate will settle down. The
coagulated juice must be separated,
and the free acid neutraiized The first is
accomplished by rapid boiling in cop
per refining vessels the second by the
addition of dilute milk of lime (milk
VI liIllC Id Sia1ht' III oAiSD'IloCu Al
lime water, when the Stacked lime is
present in some quantity it is called
cream of lime). After the juice has
been obtained, the next operation is
"hming,'i i. e. the addition of milk of
lime. The lime serves not only to
neutralize the free acid present, but
also to separate heterogeneous sub
stances from the juice, throws down
the p~rotoxides of iron and magnesia,
from their salts, potash and soda be-
ing at the same time set free. "The
quantity of lime added depends upon
the condition of the root. AS a rule,
to 100 pounds of juice, l to 2 pounds
of lime are added, or to 200 cwts. of
roots, 1 pound of lime"
(Wagner p. 1913, Chem. Tech.)
After the lime has had time to act
upon it, the juice is filtered. There
are two methods of defining. Or
purifying the juice, the n physical,
performed by filtering through ami
NAL charcoal, the other, chemical,
by means of carbonic acid.
The filtration through charcoal also
serves the purpose of rendering the
juice colorless. Then comes the
evaporation of the juice, to obtain the
crystals of raw sugar.
Here are two methods of evapora-
ton: % Under the usual air-pres-
sure, or co In pans.
A second evaporation is necessary.
in order to get rid of the ammonia and
organic substances, and a second fl
tration to remove the alkaline salts,
and the lime, and to make the color
lighter. The juice is 10 known as
thin juice and it must be concen-
trated to ''thick juice" by boiling to
the point of Capitalization. After
having been concentrated until it
crystallizes on cooling, it is cast into
molds and allowed to set, which it
will do in about t~wenty-four hours.
This is loaf sugar.
DR.. Siam says that he begins the
manufacture of crude sugar about No
vember, continuing this till April.
then refining from April to November.
He recommends the keeping of cat
tie and sheep in stables contiguous TO
the factory, as the Beet refuse press
cake) is excellent as food for them. :
Often have farmers been known tC
exchange 100 lbs of Beets for 100 lbs
press cake, because their animals like
them so much."He continQed:'.The res
idue after leaving the presses contains
Albumin, P~ectose, Ollubose, Sugar,
Salts, and Water. We give it to cat
tie mixed with hay or oil cakes, u
lie rocilro With 10 lbs hoy or Z LII.