The Portland daily press., 1878-03-11
BEET SUGAR.
Hts Manu- fracture Likely to be Introduced
Into this state-A Description Of the
Process.

interested in the introduction of the industr
into this state Among these gentlemen wer
noticed Mr. Johu Sparrow of the Forest CITY
Sugar Refinery, Mr. Baxter of the Portlau,
Packing Company, Gems j. M. and P. "a
Brown, James I. Carter and E. 81. Ewell o
the Transcript, and other gentlemen of tn
press Mr.. Ernest ter M. Gennet, who exhib
tied this model, is the gentleman who in 1856
built the beet sugar factory at Chatswo Worth, LII
| and 10 1869 the Sugar works at Warrenton II
Germany The model itself is complete lit
tie factory, of which the essential parts worl
even in the model, everything being exactly
one inch to the fooF. The main points 10 this
entirely new construction is to combine gIeal
working capacity with simplicity of consLruc
ton 10 order to avoid the outlay of the im-
mense sum required to erect sugar works on an
European principle. The sugar factory may
be divided into three parts, viz: A kiln for
dying the green or fresh beet after it has bsen
sliced by an ordinary root cutter. Working
dried beets into sugar has been done for many
years 10 Germany aud is in itself not new
Where fuel is scarce and very costly this is not
avery advantageous process, but 10 country
The most important feature of Mr.. Gennert's
drying kiln is the use Of hot air blast where
any kind of fuel Can be used for heating the
air without tainting the sweet taste of the beet.
Any farmer or workingman of ordinary skill
Can work this machine to perfection, which is
capable of drying per day about 20 tons of
beets. The beets SO dried are about oue-half
pure sugar, with the woody fibre impurities
and ten per cent of moisture mixed For pre-
Serving fruit or vegetables sugar is used to
large extent and the preserving quality of SUI
gar we'll understood it can therefore not sur
prise anybody that dried baets, which consist
of oue-hslf pure sugar, can be kept for any
number of years in as good state as when
first dried This enables Mr.. G. to erect these
drying kilus in great number of places all
through the state and to ascertain the relative
qualify of the beets grown in different local..
ties. Mr.. g. proposes to erect these drying
kilns in any place around which ia a circuit of
four or five miles farmers are willing to con-
tract for the cultivation of seventy five or
eighty acres of bsets. In drying the beets the
weight is reduced 4-5ths, 10 other words it re-
qaires five tons of fresh beets to make one ton
of dried ones. The dried beets on hand would
convince By their sweetness the most sceptical
of the large quantity of sug IT 10 them. Beets
as dried can be transported long distances
without adding materially to their cost and en-
able any factory to work them into sugar the
whole year This process has another great
advantage, namely, that the farmer can haul
the beets direct from the field to the drying
Kiln which will no farp Al -
very unpleasant winter work, snch as putting
them into pits and taking them cut during Sc
we're weather. The erection Of one of these
drying kilns is calculated to cost $1,000, sum
which it will save to the farmer MANIFOLD
dariug the first year even.
The second part of the beet sugar factory
consists of the battery for extracting the sugar
by means of water. For this purpose twelve
watts, three and half feet in diameter by sew
en- feet high, are arranged like terrace so that
the sugary matter flows from one into the 9TH
er, becoming more aud more saturated as it
passes from ons vat to the other. When it has
passed through them all a gallon of it contains
about five pounds Of sugar aud has a specific
gravity of % per cent. Beaume. These vats
are made simply of wood, but inside of the
wooden watts is another made of sheet iron with
a perforated bottom and a similar top,
which is movable. These sheet iron watts
can be taken out Of the wooden ones by
means of pulley by which they are put 10
when filled with new beets aud taken out when
the process of extracting the sugar has been
They ara then lowered on a truck
RAINING on a fairood track and conveyed out
Of the factory. The extracted baets are "a most
valuable cattle feed. This battery is entirely
new 10 all its features and has no complicated
parts which can get out of order. The work
with thu same is continuous aud goes on with
out interruption extracting per day sabout
10000 pounds of fresh beets, producing 5000
pounds of raw sugar.
The third part is an apparatus for concen-
trating the beet juice to the point of crystal,za
ton. 1t resembles much those used on sugar
plantations in the tropics, but has been greatly
improved by Mr.. g., who has worked with
them for years 10 Peru, and knows their advan-
tages as well as their. defects, which latter he
has by improvements of his own, obyiated.
The erection of the whole beet sugar factory
with eight drying kilns is estima led to cost $25-
000i and to produce easily over two aud half
million pounds of sugar per year.
The collection of beet sugar, Of which there
were about fifty samples on exhibition, was the
most complete ever shown in A nerica. Cat
loaf, rock candy aud grsuulated, as we'll as al
the different grades" of raw sugar, down to
the owess brown. Specimens of the different
varieties Of sugar bsets were on exhibition in
painting, tor either light Of heavy soil.
We understand Mr.. G. is to have imported
10000 pounds of b act seed, which he considers
sufficient for starsing three factories this year,
and which he is ready to furnish to farmers
who wish to raise beets. No country in the
world las such UNLIMITED resources in agricul-
turs as the United States, apd If large part of
thsSl0O, 900, 900 which the Uated States pay an
nually for foreign sugar flows directly into the
pockets OF our farmers it cannot fail to have
beneficial effect on farming 10 general
MIR. G. is not only a practical sugar mauufac-
turer, but also practical farmer. We have no
doubt that the earnestness of leading men n
Maine shown at the meeting, combined with
practical knowledge and experience, will at
least solve the problem of releasing our country
from the annual exodus OF one hundred mill
lion of dollars for sugar to foreign Countries.
This state has the largest vegetable packing es-
adjustment 10 the world Her starch factories
have become Of great Importance of late years,
and it is hoped that before another year passes
by we shall be able to report the successful
working of the first beet sugar factory, and feel
convinced that once successfully inaugurated,
hundreds would follow 10 quick succession and
prove blessing to our farming com nunity as
they have done in every country in Europe.
1t is expected that Mr.. Gennert will soon
make proposal to the Governor and Council
to establish factory in this state. The Cover
nor expressed himself as much pleased with the
exhibition made Saturday.
K OF P.'s AT SOUTH WINDHAM The fol-
lowing are the names Of the officers of Oriental
Lodge No. II, K. of P, installed by the Grand