PROCESS OP CONVERTING BEETS INTO SUGAR. 



21 



Juice alters very rapidly, and becomes 

 more and more mucilaginous, to the in- 

 jury of the future operations. 100 parts 

 of beets give from 65 to 70 of juice. 



4. To neutralize the acid and evap- 

 orate. When the juice begins to boil, 

 some chalk is stirred in as long as there 

 is any effervesence. It is then scummed, 

 boiled down sufficiently and the syrup 

 transferred to conical moulds for six or 

 seven days to deposit its earthy salts. 



5. To clarify and boil down. The 

 syrup is clarified either with skimmed 

 milk or blood, and then strained and 

 boiled down. 



6. To crystallize the sugar. This is the 

 longest process. It is done in square shal- 

 low earthen, or tinned iron vessels, kept 

 in a stoved chamber, the heal of which is 

 steadily maintained at 90° to 95° Fahr. 



The sugar does not begin to crystallize 

 in less than six or seven days. The cr)'S- 

 tals form a crust at the top of the liquor 

 and the sides of the vessels, which con- 

 tinue to form as long as the liquor retains 

 any sugary taste. In about 25 or 30 days 

 the crj'stallization ceases, and the fluid 

 which remains has a saline and unpleasant 

 flavour. The crystallized crusts are col- 

 lected and cautiously pressed in a sack, 

 and then yield the first rough Muscovado 

 which is stoved for ten or twelve hours, 

 and is fit for the common uses of Musco 

 cane sugar. 



By these processes 74 kilogammcs of 

 Muscovado is obtained from 5000 kilo- 

 grammes of beet root. (The kilogram- 

 me is equal to about 35^ oz. avoirdupoise 

 or 2.205 lbs.) The Muscovado is thes fit 

 for further refining by claying, (§'C. in the 

 usual manner, in which it loses about 1-8 

 of its weight to be reduced to saleable 

 loaf sugar. 



Some observations may be added on the 

 cultivation of the beet. It requires a 

 light dry sandy soil. The seeds are sown 

 in April or May, and the plants require 

 much weeding and thinning. 



When they have acquired their full 

 size, which is from October to November, 

 the tops are headed off", and serve as fod- 

 der for cattle, and the earth is turned 

 down from round the top of the root to 

 give access to the sun, which improves 

 the quality of the j'uice. The root is then 



dug up and left for a few da)^s on the sur- 

 face before it is stored. It should be kept 

 in a dry place. One arpent of ground 

 should produce al least 15000 kilogram- 

 mes of roots. 



The expense of cultivating the beet and 

 manufacturing sugar in the great way 

 (including machinery buildings, labour, 

 rent of land 4'c. ^'c. estimating the inter- 

 est of" the cost of building and machinery 

 and wear or annual depreciation,) is con- 

 sidered to avarage 98 centimes (^100 

 centimes make a franc ) for each killo- 

 gramme of Muscovado, and every killo- 

 gramme of refined sugar will cost one 

 frank 40 centimes. 



PROCESS TO CONVERT STARCH INTO 

 SUGAR. 

 Kirchoff's Mcihoil. 

 Take 100 pounds of starch, 400 of 

 water, 1 lb. of sulphuric acid, and suffi- 

 cient powdered charcoal and chalk. First 

 mix half the water v/ith the sulphuric 

 acid and bf)il it in a well tinned copper; 

 rub the starch with the rest of the water; 

 pass it through a sieve: and add- it by six 

 ounces at a lime, to the boiling dilute sul- 

 phuric acid. When the whole is added, 

 continue the boiling for thirty-six hours, 

 adding more water in- the room of that 

 which is boiled away, then add some 

 charcoal powder, and chalk sufficient to 

 saturate the acid, and pass the liquor 

 through a linen cloth, which is now 

 clear and sweet. Evaporate it by a gentle 

 heat to the consistence of syrup, when 

 the sulphate of lime will crystallize. 

 Again strain the liquor, and set it by to 

 crystallize, when the sugar will separate 

 in about three days. Press the rough sugar 

 with care so as to free it from the syrup, 

 and by re-dissolving and again crystalli- 

 zing the raw sugar, it will become very 

 fine and good. 



Sulphuric acid in any proportion will 

 convert starch into sugar, but if the quan- 

 tity of acid is increased more water must 

 be added, and especially the boiling should 

 be continued long'r which in every case 

 remarkably promotes the subsequent crys- 

 tallization. The nitric, muriatic, and ox- 

 alic acids, will equally convert starch into 

 sugar, but not the acetous, phosphoric, or 

 tartarous acids. 



