BEET ROOT SUGAR. 201 



into the clarifying copper. The cistern must of 

 course be situated lower down than the press, so that 

 the juice by a common law of gravitation, shall flow 

 from the press into it. It should always be kept per- 

 fectly clean. The shape of the cistern is of no mo- 

 ment at all, and the size depends upon the mode of 

 working. If there is one defacation in twelve hours, 

 the cistern should be about half the size of the defa- 

 cating copper ; but if there are two or three defaca- 

 tions in the same time, the cistern should be of the 

 same capacity. 



DEFACATION, 



The juice, just as it comes from the press, con- 

 tains all the matter that is soluble in the beet, such as 

 sugar, water, &c., as will be enumerated hereafter. 

 Now it is very plain, that if the juice were compo- 

 sed of nothing but sugar, combined with water, it 

 would be no trouble whatever to evaporate the water 

 and leave the sugar behind ; but then there are fo- 

 reign substances combined with the sugar, which pre- 

 vent the ready evaporation of the water, and the crys- 

 talizationof the sugar. From this cause defacation is 

 necessary, and this is nothing more than mixing with 

 the juice certain substances which have an affinity for 

 these foreign substances, and will precipitate them. 

 These substances or agents, should be of such a na- 

 ture as not to affect the quality of the sugar, but go 

 off with the refuse substances. The substance 5 njost 



