BEET ROOT SUGAR. 195 



shall have been brought lo perfection, millions of mo- 

 ney will be saved to the country, and employment 

 given to thousands who are now entirely unproduc- 

 tive. I shall proceed to describe the manufacture in 

 the order in which the manufacturer proceeds. And 

 first, 



TO CLEAN THE BEETS. 



This work is done by women and children. The 

 beets should be either washed or scraped. The in- 

 strument used for scraping, is a knife with a wide 

 blade and nine or ten inches long. The women and 

 children now seat themselves around the pile of beets, 

 and each one taking a single beet in the hand, scrapes 

 every particle of earth and other matter off. The 

 very large beets are cut into two or four pieces, after 

 being scraped, to render them of a proper size to en- 

 ter the rasp. The incision, however, should always 

 be longitudinally or lengthways. The process of 

 cleaning is very necessary, and should be done neat- 

 ly. Manufacturers are at variance with respect to 

 the necessity of washing the beets; some contend 

 that it is absolutely necessary, while others declare 

 that a rough brush, after the knife, is sufficient. But 

 it is my opinion drawn from correct premises, that 

 water is necessary to a thorough cleaning, though the 

 quantity necessary for a manufactory is not so great 

 as some imagine. In fact the quantity required is but 

 small, and. can readily be obtained in any manufacto- 

 ry. 



