St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1886-09-04
BEET SUGAR.

Processes Employed In the Production q
This Commodity.
| The beet-sugar industry has scarcely
made start yet in this country. though
in Europe it has attained such propor-
tions as to furnish half the marketed
sugar of the world, and about a third
of the total production. The produc-
tion OF beet sugar is q commercial tri-
umph of the man of ''mere science"
A Berlin apothecary, Marggraf, first
drew attention to the beet root as y
possible sugar mine, and Prussian
chemist, Achard, first successfully ex-
tracted the sugar. 1t was not, howev-
er, until the Napoleonic wars and tbs
blockade of Continental ports raised
/, the prices of sugar that the industry
was started. Napoleon in 1911 offered
bounties for the production of beet
sugar, and made the chemistry of the
process specially in scientific schools.
| Germany followed the example, and
even now the industry is fostered BY
the Government through experimental
stations and by means of boHpties ON
| sugar protection. The German law Of
1869 laid a tax on beets of "a Q6
marks) per ton, to compensate for tho
loss of revenue from imported sugars.
and gave a drawback of $42 to $47 per
ton of sugar exported. As by the i'm
proved processes the yield of beet root
is over nine and half per cent. Of
merchantable sugar, besides more than
two per cent. of molasses, this law
guaranteed a profit to manufacturers
for export, and the production has
been very great.
The beet commonly used in Europe
10 the White Silesian, weighing from
one and half to two and half pounds.
and producing fifteen to twenty tons to
the acre. 1t succeeds best where there
is dry, unclouded autumn weather.
The juice is extracted either by rasping
the beet into shreds, and pressing out
the juice, or by the diffusion process.
AS the beet contains much less sugar
in proportion than cane, its transporter
tion is a serious matter. and in France
and Belgium underground pipes are in
use through which the juice is sent to .
central factory. The process of ex-
tracing the sugar from the juice is
essentially the same as in the treatment
OF cane. except that the process of car
donation, which is coming into use also
with sorghum, is very generally used.
The method proposed by the Depart
ment of Agriculture and practiced for
one season at Ottawa. Kan, with
success, is a modification of the process
used for beet juices and consists in add
ing large excess of lime to the tepid
juice, and afterward precipitating the
excess by carbonic acid. After passing
through . filter press the clear juice Is
saturated with sulphurous acid and
again filtered. This process gives .
juice perfectly limpid and Of great
purity. The production of beet sugar.
where bounties are not paid, will prob
ably be limited by the fact that with
improving scientific processes, the
larger proportion of sugar in cane and
sorghum will give them an increasing
advantage to the planter and consumer.
The census of 1880 reported four beet
root factories. with 1856. 900 capital.
employing $50 hands. to whom it paid
$62. 27I wages. or S177 each, and pro-
ducing $2s2, ,572 product.-R. r. Boss-
ker, in Harper's Magazine.