K. J. EBERT ON BEET-SUGAIl. 397 



Extracting the Juice. 



This is done cither by pressing or maceration. The former pro- 

 cess is based upon the principle that the fibrous cells of the beets 

 must be torn in order to let the sugar-matter contained by them 

 escape. It is done by putting the beets, either singly or in small 

 quantities, into a box in which works a cylinder of wood, upon 

 which a number of teeth, made of sheet-iron or steel, are fixed in 

 such a manner that at each motion or turn of the cylinder they 

 press the beets rolling on to them through a feeding-hole against 

 another row of steel or wooden teeth fixed at a certain distance 

 above them, and in this manner lacerate the fibres. This mass 

 falls into another box placed beneath, through the open bottom of 

 it, and is thence transferred to the press itself Of these there are 

 several in use. The best, however, seems to be the hydraulic press. 



Before this takes place the mass is put upon the so-called 

 "press-cloth," or into "press-bags." The former are made of 

 hemp, or cotton, or wool, the latter being the best ; but they must 

 not be washed in warm water when being cleaned, as then they 

 would be apt to get filthy. When spread on such, it is rolled over 

 with a wooden mangle and taken to the press, where it comes un- 

 der the piston in layers one upon the other as high as convenient. 

 Great care must be taken not only in putting the mass on the 

 cloth in a solid cake form, but also in placing the various layers 

 themselves so in the press that all parts of them are equally brought 

 under the powerful action of the machine. After all the " cakes" 

 have given up their fluid, they are taken out and others put in ; 

 in the mean time, the cloths of the former pressing are thoroughly 

 cleaned. 



The " maceration" process differs materially from the first; and 

 its principal points are the following : 



The cut and lacerated beets are put into an apparatus where 

 hot water is poured over them, which removes the sugar from the 

 juice-cells, or absorbs it. If the sugar contained in this liquid 

 should not prove concentrated enough, when a reasonable time 

 for extraction has been allowed, it must be refilled upon the next 

 batch, and so on. 



Besides these foregoing we have still the method of extracting 

 the sugar matter by the application of rollers^ atmospheric p)ressure, 

 and boiling of the beets. The main features of this last process 

 are the following : To boil the washed and peeled beets in a cop- 

 per kettle, adding about ten per cent, of their weight of water, 

 and then to press the juice out of this mass in bags, which, refil- 

 tered through a linen cloth into the newly-cleaned kettle, may be 

 directly caused to evaporate to the crystallizing point. In this 

 way, says the inventor, the entire liquid (by mixing with the con- 

 centrated juice while it is yet hot about 1|- per cent, of its weight 

 of powdered crystal sugar) changes, in a warm place, into a granu- 



