48 



as the roots are cleansed, they should be thrown into bask- 

 ets about 18 inches high, and a foot wide, of a conical 

 shape with handles ; when several of these are filled they 

 are carried to the rasp : there they leave the full baskets 

 and take back the empty ones. Two women in France 

 who understand their business, can clean easily from 3 to 

 3 1-2 tons of roots in 12 hours work, and carry them to 

 the rasp. The wages of these women in some parts of 

 France do not exceed 12 or 15 cents each per day ; at 

 this rate the cleaning of a ton of beets would not cost over 

 10 cents. It of course reduces the weight of the beet — 

 the loss is estimated usually at from 6 to 7 per cent. 



The operation of washing the roots is, (as we before 

 said) by no means generally requisite, and a careful 

 cleansing, as described above, is decidedly preferable, and 

 it is not always that water in sufficient quantity can be 

 conveniently obtained. When a little stream is at hand, 

 and they can be placed in baskets in the water and remain 

 till the earth is washed off by its motion ; such a peculiar 

 advantage should never be neglected ] but this is of rare 

 occurrence. 



This washing is the more difficult too, as it must be ex- 

 ecuted in the winter and the water frequently may be fro- 

 zen. A general opinion once prevailed that the cleansing 

 with water was indispensable, and that the manufacture of 

 sugar could not be undertaken without a locality which 

 supplied an abundance of it ; but this supposed necessity 

 is groundless, for there are few spots where a sufficiency 

 of water may not be found for the inconsiderable wants of 

 a beet sugar manufactory. 



