Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1905-06-13

horse and cultvates two rows at
time. 1t is mounted on two wheels,
each about 80 inches In diameter Be
hind these wheels are two horizontal
bars, connected by two other bars to
the axle, on which they have free up
and down motion. There is also
pivot which allows a side motion, con-
trolled with handles by the operator.
With the cultivator are several sets of
knives, shovels, etc, any of which can
be fastened to the horizontal bars, the
grower using whatever kind is adapt
ed for the kind Of cultivation he wish
es
When plants are couple Of inches
high they are thinned out, leaving
plants six to ten inches apart This
work is usually done by contract, the
price paid averaging from SO to ST
per acre.
In removing beets from the ground,
a large plow or litter is used. This
plow has a depth Of IS inches or more,
made necessary by the great depth TO
which the beet penetrates the soil. 1t
is drawn by three or four horses, and
raises the beet partly out Of the
ground. so that it can be picked up by
the topper.
The beets are taken by local freight
to the factory, where they are dumped
into long bitches, which have stream
of water flowing through them. These
bitches, which are lined with cement,
slope toward the factory building, near
which they converge into one large
one The water in these bitches serve
the double purpose Of carrying and
partially cleaning the beets. At the
end of this large ditch, the beets are
raised from the water by an elevating
apparatus, which deposits them in Il
large washing machine. This consists
of an immense spiral revolving in
round iron box, placed in horizontal
position, and with stream of clear
water flowing through It. The beets,
rolling and tumbling, are pushed for
ward through this water, and coming
out free from dirt, are deposited in
screw elevator and carried to the top
of the factory, Here they find their
Uay into an automatic weighing ma
chine. then dumped into the slicer
where they are cut in small pieces.
On the next floor below the slicer is
located the diffusion battery, which is
composed Of a number of iron tanks,
placed in a group. The tanks are con-
nected with each other by large pipes,
and each tank is capable Of holding
three or four thousand pounds Of the
slices. The first tank Is filed with
slices, and has water turned into it.
This Is allowed to stand while the
second tank is filling with slices. Then
the valve connecting the first tank
with the second Is opened, and the
water in the first tank, having absorb
ed some sugar from the slices, is
forced into the second by fresh water
being pumped into the first This
water passes from tank to tank alb
sorbing a little more sugar from each
tank, until it has gone through them
all. The first lot OF water turned in
takes out 80 per cent Of the sugar, and
the second lot takes 30 per cent of the
remainder. This is repeated ten times,
and in the end has exhausted all the
sugar from the slices 10 within one
tenth of one per cent The slices re-
naming after this process are dropped
from the tanks and run through large
presses, and the partly dried pulp is
deposited in cars and wagons to be
used for feeding cattle. ii being a
great milk and flesh producer
The juice remaining is Of dark
crown color, containing much organic
matter not sugar 1t is run into tall
tanks holding a couple thousand gal
Ions. and here the lime solution which
takes out the organic matter, is add
ed. It now goes through a series OF
boilings, filtering and clarifying pro-
cesses. which leave the fluid a moder-
ately thick syrup. ready to be boiled
down TO sugar The syrup is PUMPED
&c into large round vacuum pans. In
side these pans are coiled large copper
steam pipes. and a large air pump
produces a high vacuum and removes
the evaporated water so that tue syrup
boils very rapidly and at very low
temperature This boiling mass is
watched through glass windows In the