The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-03-23
CULTURE OF BETS
Experiments in Sedgwick Co.
With Sugar Variety.
SUGAR Of THE WORLD
Soon to be Made From BeetS
Account of Processes.

Dr. Culver's plan to introduce the sugar
beet in this locality, grow it. tst its sac
charine qualities, with a view to establish
ing sugar beet factory here. So much
interest is taken in the matter that the
Eagle publishes the following from the
Scientific American on how the product Is
handled:
At Binghamton, Boone county, y, Y, IS
located a factory which manufactures
each day during the working season from
Y 10 Is tons of pure graduated sugar
the popular notion usually associates
sugar with sugar cane and with tropical
climates But this popular notion must
change, for the sugar supply of the word
will soon be manufactured from the beet.
Two factories are now in operation in
New York state, one at Binghamton and
one at Rome. A large sugar factory is
also located at Bay City, Mich. Other fac
tories are being planned in New York
and Michigan, and it will be but a short
time before this industry OF the manu-
facture of sugod from beets will come in
to wide prominence. So important is the
industry likely TO become that descrip-
ton of the Binghamton factory and the
methods of extracting the sugar from the
beets viii prove of interest.
The factory is located some three miles
fromthe city of Binghamton on the Della
wade, Lackawanna and Western railroad
The main building i sa substantial brick
structure. and the storage room for the
beets is partially provided for by four
mammoth sheds, each 400 fet long, Is feet
wide, and y fet high. 1t was thought that
these sheds would furnish sufficient stor-
age room for the beets, but, from the pho
tograph, it will be seen that many car
loads have been dumped upon the ground
inded, there are apparently more upon the
ground than in the sheds. and they are
being received from the farmers at the
rate of 100 car loads each day. I n the
spring of 1898 some 1000 acres of beets
were contracted for; the farmers agreeing
to raise the beets and the company agree
ing to pay s. per ton for the same.
Upon arriving at the factory the beets
are unloaded from the cars into the sheds
or upon the ground in the yard Under
meath each shed. and running its entire
length, is a sluceway through which runs
water which has been heated TO the boil
ing point in the factory. The beets are
rolled into this sluceway and the current
IS sufficient to carry them to the factory.
The warm water so soaks and loosens the
dirt that it is easily removed when the
beets get to the washing machine When
the beets are unloaded into the sheds the
hand work upon them is completed. and
from that time they are carried forward
by water or by machinery. As they near
the end OF the sluiceway they are sezed
by a screw elevator and raised to the
factory, where the first operation is the
washing. They are dumped into the large
tanks where revolving arms attached to a
horizontal axis thoroughly chuurn them
around and constantly work them forward
toward the clean water. They pass from
the first washing tank into a second one.
and here the process is repeated and the
beets are thoroughly cleaned. From the
washing tanks they go TO the bucket ele-
vators and are carried to the top of the
building. The next operation )pulping the
beets) is done by q system of knives or
scoops Fastened to a horizontal wheeI
The knives have scalloped edges and are
SITUATED at the bottom of a large hopper
As the beets come down uupon these
rapidly revolving knives they are literally
cut into shreds or pulp. This pulp is put
into what is called the diffusion battery"
This battery is really a system OF great
tanks so connected tina THE water can
pass from one to the other The water
is put in upon the bet pulp an dthe sugar
is soaked out, the water being passed
from one tank to another until it has
become saturated, when il is drawn off
The fresh water is always pit in upon
the pulp. which is most near,y exhausted
of its sugar content. The waste pulp is
carted out of the building and is almost
entirely a waste product It is relished
by stock, and no doubt will soon be priced
as stock food. The juice IS drawn from
the battery and a measured quantity Is
passed on 70 the lime tanks. HeIe it
comes in contact with the milk Of lime,
which removes certain impurities. Car
bon dioxide, which has been stored from
the burning limestone. is forced into the
mixture OF milk Of lime an dthe Juices
from the diffusion battery. and the lime
is precip etatiwdith the impurities which
it has absorbed. After passing through
various mixing tanks. the juice passes to
the filter presses. Here the juice Is
forced through cloth and comes out a.
most as clean as water. After passing
through two sets of these filter presses
the juices goes to the bleaching process.
This is done by means Of fumes OF sui
phus. The juice is made TO drip sioly over
a boOrd filed with holes. and the sulphur
dioxide IS brought into intimate contact
with every drop All Of these processes
are preliminary to the boiling down"
After bleaching the juice goes 70 what IS
called the triple eject vacuum pans.
These pans are simply large unriEh- boil
ers which have had the air partially ex-
hausted by means Of pumps. The liquid
b9iIs violently IN them az a temperature q
% degrees F. and n e-'hoilins down. is
greatly FASTENED. From the first boiling
he Juice goes % the su'phuratio1 tanks,
where IT Is again bIeached- Afrer RAISING
through the firelt presses. - traces ~
sulphur and other impurities are enoved.
/ The boiling down" is then completed IN
vacuum pans. TIE next operation = Der-
| formed ny the certrifucals- In these
ra1idly revolving cylinders the rloasses
| i thrown Of from the particles ~ sugar.
; The principle Is the same as nthe com
mon milk separator. where the cream IS
/ thrown ouut from the milk The sugar Is
/ very damp af,ed being separated from 'h7
rnoIssses. and IS dried hy being passed.
/ through a long. slowly revolving cyl'H'-e-
/ THIS cyli-ier is raised AZ one e1d and the
sugar IL slowly moved along passing over
hested steam pipes until finally i comes
our q the o.e- end o. the cylinder as cry
/ =-a1izsd sugar
The most Troublesome 7-o71-t - handle
I IS -he mo.asses which is separated f-o7a