CHAPTER XVIII 

 SUGAR-MAKING 



THE processes involved in the manufacture of beet- 

 sugar have undergone a great change in a little more than 

 a hundred years since the industry was first established. 

 At first it was difficult to secure a good product and only 

 a small percentage of the sugar in the beet could be re- 

 covered as refined sugar. Improvement in manufactur- 

 ing processes has gone hand in hand with the breeding of 

 a higher grade of beets in making possible the extension 

 of the beet-sugar industry. The making of beet-sugar 

 involves a number of rather complex problems in physics, 

 chemistry, and engineering; and since it is beyond the 

 scope of this book to go thoroughly into these technical 

 questions, only a brief description of the process of sugar- 

 making will be given. The following well-defined stages 

 are involved in the process : (1) storing and cleaning of 

 beets, (2) extraction of juice, (3) purification of juice, 

 (4) formation of grain, (5) partial drying, (6) final drying, 

 and (7) packing the sugar. 



STORING THE BEETS 



After the beets are received by the sugar company, it 

 is often necessary to store them for some time before they 



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