The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1904-12-13

filtered, then receiving a bath of burn.
ing sulphur, which bleaches it, again
filtered and finally it is ready for the
evaporation.
Reducing to Liquid.
AFTER having been purified by this
method the juice is e%vaporated to a
syrup containing equal parts Of water
and solid matter. This evaporation is
done by multiple effect steam-heated
vacuum exaporators forming a series
OF pans, each of which is heated by
the hot juice from it's predecessor, ex-
cept the first, that being heated by
steam from the engine. In the first
pan the juice boils at the atmospheric
pressure, but this pressure is success
lively reduced until the LIQUID is boil
ing at as nearly a vacuum as can be
secured.
All of the operations are continu.
GUS, the juice being pumped into the
first pan while the finished syrup is
flowing in a steady stream from the
last. Granulation in what is called
the strike pan follows evaporation,
the pan being heated by several tiers
of copper coils so arranged that the
operator can admit steam to any one
OF them at will. Syrup is drawn into
the pan and concentrated until the
pan is about one-third filled with a
liquid of such density that when a
fresh charge of cool syrup enters a
large number OF sugar crystals are
formed. The boiling is then continued
until the entire pan is hlled with a
thick mass of sugar and molasses
crystals, the number of these crystals
formed at the beginning of the boiling
the size of the crystals
and the grain of the finished product.
The coarse and fine granulated sugars
on the market are due to the
manner in which the boiling is con-
Quoted and not to any subsequent
crushing or grinding operation.
A Beautiful Process.
"A beautiful process is that py
the molasses is separated from
the crystalized sugar. 1t is done by
centrifugal machines provided with
fine wire cloth and revolving at the
rate of 1,5OU revolutions a minute.
Small portions Of the mass are placed
in these machines, the centrifugal
force causing the molasses to pass
through the sugar and the screen, the
crystals being held by the wire. Ad-
herring molasses is removed by a spray
t water having in it a small proper
ton of ultramarine blue, a harmless
coloring matter which counteracts the
.ellowish tint OF the sugar and gives
it a dazzling w%hiteness. AS it comes
from the centrifugal machine the SUI
gar is moist and must be passed
through the g%ranulator before it is
ready for packing and shipment. This
machine is in the form of a drum, and
the product comes into contact with a
current of hot air while the drum is
in revolution. The final product is a
high-grade %granulated sugar, fit for
the best tables.
Equal to Cane Sugar.
1T is generally believed that the
sugar mode from beets does not pos
sess the sweetening properties OF cane
sugar, but chemical analysis has
that the two are practically
in this respect. Both con-
tain 90.5 per cent of pure sugar mixed
with one-haif OF one per cent of other
materials, which do not alter the
character of the product. Chemists
have never been able to detect any
difference in the two products, and
both are called cane sugar. whether
they are produced from beets or the
sugar cane. It is, of course, true that
While many of the raw sugars obtain
ed from cane r palatable, this is
not the case with beet sugar, the lat
ter having to be thoroughly refined
before being adapted to commercial
uses.
The most important by-product OF
beet sugar is the pulp, which
an excellent food for stock in
either a moist or dried condition. The
use of this pulp is being extended all
time, and it is doubtful if any OF
It will go to waste within a few years
XMAS TREE AND DANCE.