Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1893-01-31
AMONG THE FARMERS.
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Correspondence on practical Agricultural topics
10 solcited. Address all communicAsions In
| tended for this department NJ HENnI ID. HAN
nosD. Agricultural Editor oxford Democrat
MANUFACTURE OF BEET SUGAR IN
AMERICA.
Beet sugar differs In no way from cane
sugar. The refined white sugar, sold In
groceries, Il made both from beets and
cane, the quality aud appearance being
the same. Over two-thirds OF the sugar
made In the world is extracted from
beet-roots most of which are grown In the
colder parts of Europe. North America
has several factories which are rapidly
increasing their output OF beet sugar.
The enterprise Of the American farmer,
combined with the ingenuity Oh the Am.
eriean machinist, and the Intelligence OF
the American workman, promise home
sugar industry equal at least to the con-
stantly increasing home demand, which
now uses over one-thlrd OF the worlds
production.
Beets grown for sugar, are so crowd
ed In the rows that each weighs about
one pound, and thus the root sap IL very
sweet. when these small beets are rip
ened by the dry, cool weather Of autumn
they are loosened In the rows by plow,
lifted by hand, the tops sliced OF just
below the leaf scars, and sent TO the FAC
tory by wagon road, or railroad. AZ
the factory the beets are weighed and
stored In frost-proof sheds. As the beets
are needed for working, they are thrown
into a shallow sluiceway OF running
water which floats them from the sheds
into the factory where they are lifted
from the sluiceway by an eleyating
wheel, and dropped into the beet wash
er. Rotary paddles stir them about until
they are free from dirt.
The cleaned beets are automatically
thrown Into a bucket elevator which
CARRIES them To the top OF the factory
where q machine cuts the beets into
narrow slices one-eighth inch thick.
The sliced beets are dropped through q
movable chute into tubular wrought
iron tanks or cells In which the slices
have the sugar soaked out OF them by
hot water. Twelve of these cells are ar
ranged In circle forming what Is termed
a difiusion battery, because the sugary
sap dlffuses into the water. AS each
ceil Il filed, II l. sealed air-tight with a
closely fitting swinging cover. Warm
water l. forced between the slices In Que
cell soaking out some of the sugar, this
sweetened water L. forced through the
next cell aud the next until IL has made
the round of the twelve cells. This
work Il arranged for continuous opera
ton, There Is always one cell being
either emptied or filed. The fresh hot
water passes first through the beets
which have received the most soaking,
reaching the unsoaked slices last, anu
leaving them, contains about half as
much sugar as there IL In one cell OF
beet slices. In this way hot water Is
forced through the beets ten times until
there l. left In the beet pa p but one
eighth-hundredth part OF the sugar
which the summers sunshine has help
ell to store In its tissues. The water IL
shut of, the strong bottom OF the cell
which has been closed by hydraulic
pressure opens, and the pulp is removed
| TO be fed moist or dry to cattle, or stor-
ed In silos for winter feeding.
The quantity aud temperature Oh the
rich iuice Il now automatically regis
tered, aud a sample taken for analysis
In the chemical laboratory. The Juice
Il heated nearly as warm as boiling
water. and then passes to the caroona-
tors where it IL clarified by lime OF most
of its impurities which combine with the
lime, and settle to the bottom. That
portion Of the sugar which unites with
the lime Il set free by pumping carbon
ic acid gas twice through the juice. The
lime l. completely neutraliled by treat
meut with sulphurous acid. The l3JO
gallons of juice is pumped from the car
bonator, at the rate OF 5000 gallons per
hour, through large tllter press which
removes the residue OF clariiication. IL
l. apparent that II will cost very much
10 work over the juice Of beets contain
ing little sugar, not only because OF the
extra water to be worked out, but also
be, au.e of the extra amount OF solids
not sugar, and of the increased difficult
ty of separating the sugar from these.
Hence a beet about one pound In weight
Il the most profitable to handle In the
factory, and II grown thickly Will also
furnish the most sugar to the acre Tor
the farmer.
The clarified juice Il evaporated until
II l. half sugar. Those factories which
refine the sugar run the juice over bone
black at this stag. which removes all
impurities, leaving the liquid as clear as
water. In all factories the concentrated
juice l. boiled into sugar In a large
vacuum strike pan which may hold as
much as thlrty-ilye tons of sugar. Ihe
water Il eyaporat,d from the moiasses
at much lower temperature In vaeu-
um, aud hence the sugar IL not burned.
The sugar Is granulated In the vacuum,
and the resulting melada is thoroughly
stirred In large mixer. The syrup Is
removed from the sugar by centrifugal
strainers, passed througha a sugar drier,
aud placed completely dry In sacks OF
100 pounds each, the weighing and
marking of which are inspected by the
United States sugar bounty officials.
The sugar Is ready for the table In thir-
ty-six hours from the time the beets
float into the factory. Factories
making raw sugar ship to refinery.
One typical factory Il equipped with
machinery made In the United States.
IL 4. the result Of American faith aud
and brains, aud labor. The main build
ing Il built Of brick three stories high,
$50 feet long, and averages ~ feet In
width. The brick annex, containing the
boilers, bone black house and llme-kiln,
Il the same length aud about half as
vide. The six sheds for storing beets
are 2ix5OO feet with capacity Of H.
600 tons. The four pulp silos are each
2ixlSO feet and ten feet deep. The coal
bins are isx250 feet. There are also
railroad tracks, aud car and wagon
scales on the grounds. A four room
building is occupied by the United
States bounty officials. The factory
uses water from a lake fed by springs
furnishing 4,00O, 900 gallons Of pure soft
water daily. In almost 100000 gal-
Ions are furnished by eight artesian
wells. The factory Il built on thirty
acres Of land near good qusrries OF
limestone, large amounts OF which are
needed.
-Four thousand tons OF coal are used
each year to work up the 2j,OOO tons OF
beets grown by ESQ farmers on l,s0O
acres. Beets are hauled by wagons
from distance of six miles, and by
railway as far as sixty miles. Three
miles or side track are used. The fac-
tory cost over SJO0,0 900 OF which $780,
900 were expended for machinery. Over
), ,OOO, 900 pounds Of refined granulated
sugar are annually manufactured. All
this Il done In the midst OF farming
community In the heart Of what Was
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