262 The Sugar-Beet in America 



The pulp is carried off in a stream of water to a silo, 

 where it is held till it is dried or hauled away to be fed 

 to stock. Plate XIX. jNIethods of handling the pulp 

 are discussed in detail in Chapter XII. The juice, con- 

 taining the sugar, on coming from the batteries is dark in 

 color, and, in addition to the sugar, contains many impuri- 

 ties which must be removed before the sugar can be made 

 to crystallize out. Up to this point, the method of mak- 

 ing beet-sugar differs completely from that used for cane- 

 sugar; beet juice is obtained by diffusion, whereas the 

 cane juice is removed by crushing. 



PURIFICATION OF THE JUICE 



After the juice is measured, it passes to the carbonation 

 tanks (Plate XXVII) where purification begins. Here it is 

 treated with 3 to 4 per cent of caustic lime in the form of 

 thick milk. After thorough agitation, the excess lime is 

 precipitated with carbon dioxid from the lime kiln. The 

 addition of lime is considered the most important opera- 

 tion in the sugar mill, and unless properly done the 

 final product is affected both in color and amount. The 

 effect of lime on the juice is both chemical and mechanical. 

 The lime unites chemically with a number of substances 

 that later interfere with the manufacturing process, and 

 it causes many of the solids held in suspension to settle to 

 the bottom, leaving a clear liquid of light amber color. 



When the proper condition in the juice is obtained, it is 

 passed through filter presses, shown in Plate XXVIII, to 

 remove the precipitated lime and other solid matter. 

 These solid materials are retained in the frame of the 



