'z9 Procejijoy exiraBing Sugar from the Bitt. 



VI. 



Procefs for extraBing Sugar from the Beet, communicated in a Letter from Mr. /Icharo to 



Citizen Fan Mons*. 



I 



T Is the beta vulgaris L. which is proper for making of fugar, though all the varieties 

 are not equally fo. That of which the internal part is white: the fkin of a pale red, and 

 the root of a long fpindle fliape, is the beft. All the varieties of the beet yield fugar, but 

 this mufl be chofen when it is to be manufadtured to advantage ; befides which, it is on 

 the culture principally the quantity of fugar produced by the root depends. 



It is afcertained from the operations of extrafting fugar from the beet root, which I have 

 performed under the infpeftion of a committee, nominated by the King of Pruflia, that the 

 beft method is as follows. The root not peeled, but in the ftate in which it is dug out of 

 the ground, with no other preparation than that of carefully feparating the leaves' and the 

 heart, is to be boiled in water till it is foft enough to be pierced with a flraw. A (hort 

 time of ebullition is fufficient to give it this degree of foftnefs, which is well known to the 

 confeftioners, who give it to fome fruits before they preferve them. The beet when cold is 

 divided and reduced into flices by means of the machine ufed by farmers to flice potatoes for 

 cattle. A defcription of this machine is to be found in a publication of Bufch, entitled : 

 Ueberfcht der fortfchritte in wlffenfchaften, kttnjlen, inanufaEluren und handiverken von OJlern 

 1796, bis OJlern 1797. Erfurt 1798 : and the engraving which renders the fubjeft clearer 

 IS copied in the firft plate of my work. This method of dividing the root is the beft I have 

 yet found. Two men with this machine can cut nearly 100 pounds into very fine flices in 

 three minutes. To extraft the juice from the roots when fliced, they are fubjefted to the 

 aftion of a prefs which ftiould a£l with force fufficient to extract at firft as much juice a« 

 poffible. The pulp which remains in the prefs ftlll contains a conGderable portion of fugar,. 

 which Is worth extraiStlng. To effe£t this it is diluted in a fufficient quantity of water for 

 twelve hours, after which the fluid part Is drawn out by prefTure. The faccharlne matter, 

 after this fecond extratlion, is ftill fufficlently abundant to affisrd by fermentation, brandy or 

 vinegar, with profit. 



The liquids thus obtained are afterwards mixed and ftralned through a flannel, and reduced 

 by conftant boiling to about two thirds. It Is then paflTed afecond time through a woollen 

 cloth, or a piece of cloth, fucb as Is ufed In fugar refineries; after which the liquor is boiled 

 in a fmaller veflel than the firft till It Is reduced to one half. The liquor is again boiled in 

 a ftill fmaller veflel which gives It the confiftcncy of a liquid fyrup. It Is neceflary to re- 

 mark, that by endeavouring to give to the fyrup a too ftrong confiftency there will be danger, 

 of fpoiling the whole. 



• Decade. An. VIII, p. 15. No. r^. p. 314. 



4 This 



