t 389 ] 



tion and manufacture of beet sugar. He came to the con- 

 clusion that the white sugar beet can be easily introduced as 

 a cold weather crop in India. The pressure was not applied 

 directly to the roots as in the case of sugar-cane. The roots 

 were washed clean of earth, the tops and tails cut off, and 

 the roots sliced and pulped. This pulp was put on a piece 

 of calico and strained and afterwards pressed. The juice 

 was strained a second time and then clarified and boiled like 

 sugar-cane juice. The cost of cultivation came to only 8 

 pies per pound of gur obtained and the cost of manufacture 

 to 2 annas and one pie per lib. As no pulping machine was 

 used but the roots were pulped by a hand-grater somewhat 

 like a nutmeg-grater, the cost of manufacture was excessive. 

 The cost of cultivation per acre came to Rs. 61-8 as. and 

 the total value of raw sugar at Rs. 4 per maund came to Rs. 

 71 10 as. per acre. The yield per acre was gj tons of roots, 6 

 tons of green leaves, 4^ tons of juice, and 13 cwts. of gur 

 of which about half the quantity may be put down as pure 

 cane-sugar. Mr. Proudlock of the Ootcamond Botanical 

 Garden also reports favourably of sugar-beet growing. 



596. With regard to the manufacture of sugar by a 

 scientific process, the following general summary may be 

 remembered : 



(1) The first object after the juice has been obtained in 

 the fresh state either from beet, sugar-cane, maple, or palm is 

 to remove the albuminoid substance, which acts as a ferment 

 and turns sugar acid. Acidity 'inverts' cane-sugar and 

 prevents proper crystallisation. The ash or non-sacchar- 

 ine substances also prevent crystallisation. Hence the great 

 importance, of clarifying before boiling. The temperature 

 of the juice at clarifying should be between 125 and 145. 

 In any case it should not be allowed to go above 160 F. 



(2) The clarifying is done by adding to the hot cane juice 

 just enough of slaked lime by stirring which would neutralize 

 the juice which is naturally acid. The albuminoid matter 



