756 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



strength is again reduced, possessing then one-quarter of the ori- 

 ginal strength. If a juice contains eighteen per cent, of sugar, 

 which is a fair average sample, the progress of this reducing pro- 

 cess, for six consecutive times, leaves a juice in the pulp of but one- 

 quarter per cent, of sugar, or one almost free of saccharine matter. 

 The juice obtained by all these dihitions is too watery for econo- 

 mical evaporation, and must be concentrated by the same process 

 by which it was diluted. 



The juice obtained from the first dilution of the original juice 

 of sixteen per cent., contained eight per cent, of sugar. If this 

 now be brought in contact with its weight of fresh juice of sixteen 

 per cent., a mixture will be the result containing twelve per cent. 

 Continuing this process six times as before, the final resulting 

 liquid will contain 15.875 per cent, of sugar, or almost its original 

 concentration. These results, however, are not always to be 

 obtained completely in practice. 



The process of maceration, now chiefly employed on a large 

 scale, is that introduced by Schuetzenback, and consists in placing 

 the beet pulp in vats provided with an agitator, to keep it con- 

 stantly in motion. The vats have a false perforated bottom for 

 the complete removal of the liquid, and a corresponding perforated 

 top, the holes of which serve as distributors of the exhausting 

 medium. Twelve tubs form a battery, and the transmission of 

 exhausting liquor between the diflerent exhausters is effected by 

 means of a rotary pump. The motion of the agitator should be 

 about twenty-two turns a minute, neither fast enough to make muck 

 froth, nor so slow that the pulp will float. This process furnishes 

 eighty-nine per cent, of beet juice, or five per cent, more than 

 presses, having simplicity and cheapness of apparatus in its favor, 

 the juice being also cleaner, not coming in contact with cloths, &c., 

 which induce decomposition. 



The amount of water requisite for this process is four times that 

 of the weight of beets. The exhausted pulp is generally pressed, 

 to be preserved as cattle feed. Other methods of maceration were 

 tried with partial success. Among them may be mentioned the 

 maceration of beet slices, suggested by Markarat and carried out 

 by Dombasle, in 1821. The points of contact between the beet 

 and exhausting medium being diminished, the maceration is less 

 complete than is that of pulp. It required at least six hours, 

 which afibrds the juice time to ferment. 



In 1837, Pclletan introduced an exhauster, consisting of an Arch- 



