SECRETARY'S REPORT. 361 



"You say the smaller roots contain more sugar. I should 

 think the weather and soil would have some influence on tiiat." 



" Oh yes, the sugar is affected hy a great many circumstances. 

 The season, whether dry or wet, the kind of manure used,, the 

 soil, the time of harvesting, and other things, have as much 

 influence, perhaps, as the size of the roots and the variety. 

 Very strong and forcing manures make a ranker growth but 

 the i)ercentage of sugar will be less. Saline manures generally 

 have to be used with caution. Common salt will promote a 

 great growth, but though useful in small quantities it would 

 lessen the proportion of sugar very much, if applied too largely. 

 And so forcing, or ammoniacal manures add to the proportion 

 of water in the root." 



" Do they always take the roots directly from the field to the 

 sugar house ? " 



" They generally do. There is more sugar in the fresh root. 

 You take a root fresh in October, and you may find, say eight 

 or ten per cent, of sugar, but let it lie till January, and you 

 will have but six or eight per cent. ; and if it lies till February 

 it will contain, probably, not more than four or five per cent, 

 at the most. I suppose the sugar changes into woody fibre 

 in the process of drying too much." 



" How do they make the sugar ? 



" The roots are perfectly cleaned or washed in a machine, 

 water being used without stint. Then they go into a simple 

 cylindrical machine worked by steam or w^ater where they are 

 rasped or grated into a perfect pulp ; to prevent clogging a little 

 stream of water is made to trickle down over the rasper when 

 in operation. Then they put the pulp into bags and pile the 

 bags up under the press, each bag separated by a perforated 

 plate from the others, and put on the pressure, at first light 

 letting the juice run off and gradually increasing till the whole 

 is extracted. The bags are taken out once or twice in the 

 process and put in differently so as to expose all surfaces and 

 corners to the pressure. The details differ somewhat in dilTerent 

 manufactories, but they are in the main the same." 



" What proportion of the juice can tliey get out ? " 



" They usually get not far from eighty per cent, of juice, and 

 perhaps from four to eigiit per cent, may be left in the pulp 

 which now takes the form of a cake. Then the juice is clarified, 



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