32 SUPPLEMENT. 



25 to 27 cents per hundred pounds, together with one-half of 

 the vegetable refuse or press-cake. 



Not unfrequently, separate contracts are made for furnishing 

 small beets not exceeding two pounds in weight. The sugar- 

 beet cultivation usually becomes a prominent feature of agri- 

 cultural industry in the vicinity of beet-sugar factories, for 

 although the manufacturer of sugar is, as a general rule, to 

 some extent at least a producer of beets, he rarely limits 

 himself to the amount of his own produce. He finds it profit- 

 able to purchase a certain quantity, if for no other reason, in 

 order to be enabled to cultivate his own lands on a liberal 

 system of rotation. He, also, frequently retains one-half of 

 the press-cake and other refuse resulting from the working of 

 an additional amount of beet-roots, for stock feeding and 

 manuring purposes. 



Yield op Juice. 

 The sugar-beet contains about 82 per cent of water, and 80 

 per cent of its juice may be obtained by subjecting the crushed 

 beet to a powerful pressure. The relation of the power applied 

 to the quantity of juice obtained may be inferred from the 

 following statement of Walkhoff : — 



By 50 pounds of pressure to the square inch, 



80 " " " " 



4Q() u u u a 



750 " • " " " 



The press-plates are made 14 inches or more square, and 24 

 pounds of pulp for every 100 square inches of press surface is con- 

 sidered the best proportion. The roots are usually changed into 

 a pulp by circular saws fastened upon two hollow iron rollers run- 

 ning in opposite directions. Water is added (from 15 to 30 per 

 •cent) while preparing the pulp to reduce the amount of sugar 

 left in the pross-cakes. By means of this and numerous other 

 devices from 80 to 87 per cent of the actual juice in the beet- 

 roots is secured. The profitable addition of water is limited by 

 the expense arising from the evaporation of a diluted juice.* 



* One hundred pounds of coal are required for the evaporation of 500 pounds of water, 

 in the course of beet-sugar mauufacture. 



