398 GRAPE CULTURE AND WINE-MAKING. 



lous mass, wbicli it only needs to fill into bags and press it out, in 

 order to obtain, in from 14 to 30 days, the entire sugar that had 

 been contained in the beets. 



Preserving the Juice. 



As the good result of the entire process depends on two main 

 points — cleanliness in all the appertaining actions and instruments, 

 and ex23eclition in disposing of the juice to the boiling kettle, it be- 

 comes evident that the greatest possible care must be taken in re- 

 gard to them. Referring to the latter, it will frequently be found 

 inconvenient or impossible to attend to it as quickly as desired. 

 In this case, the juice, when running out from under the press, 

 which appears first of a clear white color, is conducted to the re- 

 ceiving-tub ; it will, however, be found to have changed into red; 

 and if left much longer in contact with the air, into hroivn or even 

 black — a sure sign that the sugar matter gets rapidly decomposed. 

 This is caused by the combination of the oxygen of the air with 

 the albuminous matters in the beets, producing acids and forming 

 slime, by which the aptitude of the sugar to crystallize is destroy- 

 ed, and finally itself entirely dissolved. Various methods have 

 been recommended and tried to avoid this evil ; none, however, 

 with perfectly satisfactory success. The best of them might be 

 to add to the raw juice about two per cent, of the weight of the 

 beets of acid sulphurous lime. 



As to the first point, " cleanliness^^'' we may add that immediate- 

 ly after one pressing process is finished and another one begins, 

 all the implements in the room, without exception — even the floor 

 and walls — must be carefully cleaned off, and the refuse and offal 

 removed. The wooden instruments have to be washed, first with 

 warm and afterward with cold water, and all wood parts of the 

 room sprinkled over with lime-water. The bags and cloths must 

 be exchanged for fresh ones. 



The Defecation of the Juice. 



This causes the removing of all substances from the juice which, 

 being contained in the beets, would in any way act injuriously to 

 the sugar by decomposing it, or hindering its perfect crystalliza- 

 tion. It is, however, not a mere mechanical operation, but one 

 that has to be executed by chemical application. 



The most efiicient agent for this purpose we have in lime ; and 

 the apparatus necessary for the defecation is called " the defeca- 

 tion kettle." It is generally made of iron or copper, at its lower 

 end of half round, and thence upward of more cylindrical form. 

 The bottom is a double one. In filling this a space of six or 

 seven inches must be left empty to prevent the running over of 

 the liquid. 



The principal points of this process are, 



During the Uealing. — To close, after the kettle has been rapidly 



