130 



Beet Sugar. 



Vol. II 



Let us now suppose we are about to make 

 some beet root sugar. 



1st. Clean the dirt from the roots by wasli- 

 ing, or shaking well one against the other ; the 

 latter suffices Jiere, as they come up very clean. 



2d. Trim otF with a knife the fibrous tape 

 root and all the crown of the root, to get rid 

 of all acrid substance. 



3d. Rasp them as before described, and 

 thus you obtain your pulp. 



4th. Have ready a small frame of four 

 pieces of strip, formed into a square, with its 

 centre about nine by twelve, for light pres- 

 sure. Lay this frame on a board, which board 

 slants into or towards tiie tub in which is 

 your pulp. On this frame, then place a piece 

 of coarse linen crash or cloth, five times the 

 size of the centre of the frame, and in the 

 centre of the cloth — which of course will be 

 the inside or centre of the frame — lay a 

 shovel full of pulp, then folding the cloth up 

 from the four sides, you have the pulp, en- 

 closed as it were, in a square flat bag, which 

 will yield under any pressure without burst- 

 ing, and still retain safely the pulp. 



5th. Press your pulp to obtain the juice. 

 This is to be done under any sort of press or 

 pressure that you may choose; the amount of 

 juice obtained will be, of course, according to 

 the amount of pressure; eighty-five per cent, 

 of juice can be obtained from the root. A very 

 simple plan for an experiment, is, to place the 

 pulp in a long piece of cloth, spreading the 

 pulp about si.x inches and roll the cloth up, 

 making it four feet long and wring out the 

 juice by hand, aided by a stick in the centre, 

 doubling the cloth and making fast both ends. 

 If you iiave a press, place on the bed of it, a 

 zinc, tin, or copper pan, larger than the 

 square bags or wickers, (which latter we 

 ihall soon describe,) in order that it may not 

 be injured by the pressure. The sides of this 

 pan need not be over two inches in height. 

 In the centre front of the pan, should be a 

 break or spout for the juice to flow out into a 

 tub beneath. This all arranged, place a clotJi 

 filled with pulp on the pan under the press- 

 on this cloth or bag of pulp, place a clai or 

 piece of wicker work, similar to the top of a 

 champagne wine basket, or ordinary wicker 

 basket work, made square and flat. This 

 wicker work is to prevent the pulp in the 

 bags from clogging and bursting under the 

 pressure, and to make the juice flow easily 

 and obtain the more of it from the pulp than 

 you otherwise could. On top of the wicker 

 place another bag of pulp, then another wicker, 

 then another bag of pulp, and so continue un- 

 til your press is filled, when, by applying the 

 pressure, you obtain tlie juice which flows 

 into the tub under the press. 



All being previously in readiness, not a mo- 

 ment should be lost after tiie juice is obtained, 



but hasten it into the defecating pan, which 

 is placed over a naked fire, and may be an 

 ordinary copper wash kettle, and proceed to 



6th. Defecate the juice. 



The juice is now in the kettle over the fire. 

 Keep up a brisk fire until the juice is lieated 

 to 15U'' Fahrenheit, or so hot that you can 

 but place your finger into it without bnrninn- 

 it. At this moment is the lime to be added, 

 i. e. having ready some cream of lime, pre- 

 pared by slacking a piece of pure clean lime 

 in hot water, reduced to the consistence of 

 cream ; add to your juice at this point of heat, 

 not more than one ounce in proportion to 

 eight gallons of juice ; this is, however, to be 

 known better by experience and the state 

 your roots are in.* On such points as this, 

 is your judgment to be carefully e.\ercised. 

 You must stir the lime thoroughly to mix it 

 with the juice, and when you shall have done 

 so, increase your fire, and continue your juice 

 over it until it attains the boiling point, when 

 your fire must be instantly checked or the 

 boiler or kettle as instantly removed from off 

 the fire, and the juice left for perhaps half an 

 hour, or until it has become perfectly clear, 

 and the deposit made in the bottom ; then 

 with a skimmer remove the black scum from 

 the surface, and pour off the juice carefully 

 into another pan, boiler or kettle, to be evapo- 

 rated.f If the juice has now, or previously 

 assumed a dirty appearance, be not dis- 

 couraged in your first efl"ort ; this is always the 

 appearance of it until it changes to molasses. 



7th. Filtering has not been recommended 

 at this point, but I think it should be done. 

 I will, therefore, describe the manner in 

 which I performed it — to be referred to again 

 — and leave those who essay to make sugar, 

 to filter once only, or twice, as they may deem 

 best. A box of a size proportioned to the 

 scale on which you are working, (unless on 

 a very large scale — in which latter case you 

 will need many filterers, and of the usual 

 size used in manufiictories.) I used a flower 

 pot of the capacity of two gallons, as having 

 a hele in tiie bottom, being conical and of 

 earthenware and readily obtained, it was most 

 convenient and answered the purpose. Pre- 

 pare a circular piece of wood to fit inside the 

 conical box or pot — which may be square or 

 round — perforate this block in every part, 

 cover one side of it with a piece of linen 

 cloth, then prepare a linen bag or cloth to 

 place inside the filterer, and put the perforated 

 block inside the bag, with its covered surface 

 uppermost, and placing the bag inside the 

 pot, forcing down the block, which is held 



* If the lOdts are fresh and frood, I would recommend 

 a trial with much less — even lialt the quantity, If not 

 so good, or touched with frost, nmro may be required 



t At this point evapoiation has usually been carried 

 on, but wiih two filteringa ; the latter sliould here be 

 done. -See 7lh. 



