LITTLE GRAINS OP SUGAR 7 



inventive genius — the beetroot-juice, which Is the denser 

 liquid, begins to escape from the plant cells to mix with 

 the water, whilst the water begins to penetrate the cells 

 to mix with their juice. This intercourse goes on until 

 the liquid within the beet-shreds and that in which 

 they are immersed are of equal density, by which time 

 what was originally water is now syrup. This syrup 

 is conducted to a second vessel containing beet-shreds, 

 and the same natural mixing again takes place, the 

 immersion liquid being fortified with a further supply 

 of sugar-juice. Again the immersion liquid is con- 

 ducted to another vessel containing beet-shreds, and 

 to another, and another, until diffusion practically 

 ceases ; the immersion liquid has become as dense and 

 as good in quality as the natural juice of the beet, hence 

 neither wants to commingle with the other. In other 

 words, the hot water put into the first vessel has been 

 gradually changed into beet-juice. Beet-juice, by the 

 way, naturally contains 75 per cent, of water. 



From what I have told you thus far about diffusion, 

 you may be thinking there is a great deal of waste 

 in the process. In order to guard against confusing 

 you, I led you to imagine that all the vessels contained 

 freshly-shredded beet ; as a matter of fact, no vessel is 

 replenished with a supply of new shreds until all the 

 goodness has left the previous supply, but the only 

 difference this makes to the process, as I have explained 

 it to you, is that immersion liquid circulated through 

 vessels of partly exhausted beet-shreds has to perform 

 a longer journey before it becomes diffusion juice, or 

 pure beet-juice. 



The diffusion juice is drawn off, and at this stage 

 corresponds with the cane-juice extracted by crush- 



