AMERICAN BEET SUGAR. 33 



which they are automatically ejected into an elevator, which carries them to the 

 third floor, where they fall into a slicer. 



THE SLICER. In this machine the beets are cut into long v-shaped strips 

 about /s of an inch wide by y& of an inch thick and of various lengths. 



DIFFUSION BATTERY. From the slicer the beets are transported by gravity 

 through a chute to the diffusion battery (which consists of 14 tanks connected by 

 piping and valves, each holding 2^ tons of sliced beets), where the sugar is ex- 

 tracted by a series of leachings with hot water. The sugar is held in solution in 

 the cells of the beets. These cells also contain most of the impurities. The object 

 of the diffusion process is to obtain the sugar with as few of the impurities as 

 possible. First, in the cutting, the machine and the knives are selected with a 

 view of cutting the beets in such a form as to rupture as few cells as possible, and 

 at the same time prepare a large surface for the action of the water or dilute juice 

 in the operation in the battery, without destroying the rapid circulation of the 

 liquid. 



In the raw state the protoplasmic lining of the sugar cells will retain the sugar 

 even if it be immersed in water, but upon heating, a change will take place, and 

 the cell that previously prevented the process of diffusion will readily permit the 

 sugar to pass out into the water, until the water on the outside of the cell contains 

 the same percentage of sugar as that on the inside. If this water is then drawn off 

 and replaced with fresh water, this process will again take place and may be con- 

 tinued until no more sugar remains. If the operation was carried on in this way, 

 all of the sugar could be extracted, but there would be a large quantity of dilute 

 juice. 



To secure the same results without so great a quantity of juice, fourteen diffu- 

 sion cells are employed in the factory herein illustrated, each holding 2^ tons, 

 being about 6 feet diameter by 8 feet long. They are arranged in a circle for con- 

 venience in filling with fresh sliced beets (cossettes), and discharging those ex- 

 hausted of sugar (pulp). Each cell has adjoining it what is termed a " heater". 

 This heater is about 18 inches diameter by 8 feet long, filled with brass tubes, ar- 

 ranged so the juice may be heated by the admission of steam without contact 

 with the j uice. The fourteen cells and heaters are so connected by piping that either 

 water or juice may be admitted to any individual cell, or caused to circulate 

 through them all ; the whole arrangement is termed the "diffusion battery." 



THE STRUCTURE OF THE BEETS. In the cell of the beet is not only sugar 

 (crystallizable body) but salts, albuminoids and other undesirable substances 

 (colloid bodies); as it is only the crystallizable bodies that have the property of 

 diffusing through the cell membrane, it is desirable to have them remain intact, 

 therefore great care is taken to rupture as few cells as possible in slicing the 

 beets ; also to avoid bursting the cells by overheating during the process of diffu- 

 sion. The temperature at which diffusion takes place is from 70 to 85 degrees C. 

 158 to 185 Fah. depending on the quality and character of the beets. If the 

 process is properly conducted, there will be a partial clarification of the juice and 

 the purity of the diffusion juice will be higher than the juice in the beet. 



THE PROCESS OF DIFFUSION. The operation is conducted as follows : First 

 from ten to twelve cells are filled with slices, water that has been previously heated 

 to the desired point (say 80 C.) is admitted till the cell is filled. Assuming that the 

 slices contain 14 per cent, sugar, there is an interchanging of the sugar in the cell 



