1837] 



FARMERS' REGISTER. 



97 



88 Ills, of lime to 114 njallons of juice m;iy al- 

 ways be used with satety. It is, in liicf, the niiii- 

 iinuiii (lose that ought to l)e ap|)lieil. TluMjiiaiiti- 

 ty varie.^ with thetjuality of the beetroot, ami the 

 perioli of the season when it is applied. Thus, 

 at the begiunini^ of the season, when the roots 

 arc rich and full of sugar, the greater will be the 

 proportion of lime necessary. The object of the 

 lime b-^iiig to |irecipitate certain substances which 

 impede the formation of sugar, it should, of course, 

 b-* added in riuantities adequate to the amount of 

 these substances; tor, experience seems to show, 

 that as the quantity of sugar increases, so will 

 also these extraneous matters. Thus, a firm, solitl 

 beet root requires more lime than a watery root, 

 and vice versa. 



On the whole, the safest way is to begin with 

 Utile enougli of lime, lor it is very easy to add 

 more from time to time, as above directed. But 

 it is not to be inferred from hence, that, on the 

 tohole, a small quantity is preferable to a larger. 

 So far is this from being the case, that it is consi- 

 dered better to use too much than too little ; for 

 though an excess of this alkali is prejudicial to the 

 sugar, it is always less so than an insufficient 

 quantity. The observations of the worlcman can- 

 not be too frequently taken during the process of 

 detecaling. A clear liquor, and a perfect precipi- 

 tation, are the main objects to be accomplished. 

 If these are not obtained, or imperfectly so, the 

 results will be sure to sufTer. 



It has been imagined by JVI. Barruel, that the 

 red beet requires more lime than the white ; but 

 M. Dubrunlimt considers this opinion as not al- 

 together correct, and is rather disposed to refer 

 the apparent difference to the season, which 

 might tiiat year produce a red beet of a firmer 

 and less watery description than the yellow. 



The beet pjice, when it first comes from the press, 

 it is of a nnlkv hue, and yet dingy. When heated, 

 the scum and froih rise; but as soon as the lime is 

 added, the black, dirty color disappears by degrees, 

 and abumlance of flakes are seen in the liquor. 

 These flakes are usually of a yellowish grey co- 

 lor; when the proportion of lime is sufficient, they 

 separate from the liquid and rapidly sink to the 

 bottom. When arrived at this stage of the dele- 

 cation, the fire must be withdrawn, and the boiler 

 left to itself for an hour or two, that the whole 

 may settle properly. The cock placed just above 

 the bottom of the boiler should be opened, to 

 draw ofl' the liquor clear. The juice is then con- 

 veyed to the evaporating pans — of which more 

 hereafter. Care should be taken to watch the 

 liquor as it runs off", lest any part should become 

 thick and turbid, especially towards the end ; so 

 soon as this is perceived, the cock should be closed 

 and the lower one opened, that the residuum may 

 pass through the filter. When this is all drawn 

 off, the boiler is ready for a fresh charge. 



The defecation by lime is denominated the sys- 

 tem of the colonies, because there the process was 

 made trial of, and long before beet-root sugar was 

 even thought of. But it ought to be explained, 

 that, in the present day, it is not used to so much 

 advantage in the colonies as in France. There, 

 in fact, the management is left to a slave, who, 

 not unfi-equently applies the lime at random: and, 

 of course, the results are, and must be^ very un- 

 equal. 



It has been phown that it is better to use too 

 Vol. V— 13 



much than too little lime in defecation. Both arc 

 slated to be evils, and yet of two evils, the former 

 is the least. Aller having operated on the extra- 

 neous matter in the sugar, it then begins to act on 

 the suffar itself". 



Delineation by lime alone, then, has this <rrand 

 inconvenience — that a part of the sugar is destroy- 

 ed to obtain the other. In this process, in fact, 

 when the syrup is run into moulds, it produces arr 

 abundant crystallization; and the molasses, which 

 coine f"rom it more rapidly than by any other 

 method, have a very disagreeable taste and smell; 

 they have but little sweetness, and if by any 

 known process a second crystallization be attempt- 

 ed, not an atom of sugar can be obtained from 

 them. Nay more, the sugar partakes of the bad 

 taste and smell of" the molasses, and is thereby 

 rendered unsaleable in the market. JSven after 

 refining, these objections are still more or less per- 

 ceptible. M. Dubrunfautstates that he has ex- 

 perienced this himself, as a refiner. The suirar 

 produced by the lime was always very fair to tfu; 

 eye, the grain large, strong, and open; but it had 

 a particular smell, and left a disagreeable flavor in 

 the mouth. 



It is a pity that the defecation by lime presents 

 these inconveniences, for it is the mode of all 

 others the simplest, and best adapted to conmion 

 farm esiablis'iments. It is, indeed, on this ac- 

 count that many manufacturers who have adopted 

 it continue still to use it notwithstanding the iultn- 

 riority it presents, both as to quantity and quality 

 of its results, as compared vvitii those of other 

 and more complicated methods. It cannot be re- 

 commended, even m-aiiaired in the best knowrr 

 manner. Its simplicity does not overcome its im- 

 perfections, and the author above quoted greatly 

 prelers either of the following methods. 



Notwithstanding the decided opiniod here ex- 

 pressed by M. Dubrunfaut against the the em- 

 ployment of lime alone as a defecating agent, it 

 has been ascertained, by subsequent experience, 

 that it is capable, under proper management, of 

 producing very favorable resuhs, both as to quali' 

 ty and quantity. 



Seco^id Method — French Process — 



So called, because it was first adopted in France, 

 and consists, in the first instance, of the use of 

 lime to excess, and then neutralizing, in part, the 

 alkalization of the juice, by sulphuric acid. M. 

 Dubrunfaut has detailed the particulars of the fol- 

 lowing experiments made by M. Cafler and him- 

 self at the manufactory of the former. 



Experiment I. 



At the time the narrator arrived, only two 

 charges had been worked ofi", the third was then 

 in progress, and great diflicullies were encounter- 

 ed in the course of the work. The filtration waa 

 either impossible, or very bad. The syrup in the 

 moulds, the produce of the two former defiications, 

 furnished only a blackish sugar. On trying the 

 sugar in the third boiler, it was found highly alka- 

 line, and contained not only a little lime, but am- 

 monia, and a good deal of potash, which entered 

 into combination with the albumen, and formed 

 with it a soluble compound. The charge under 



