WUSTERHAGEN DRYER. 107 



leaves in the Klusemann apparatus increases the dry matter 

 from 7 to 30 or 40 per cent. , which means that there has been 

 pressed out 75 to 80 per cent, of the total liquid. 



Unfortunately the water thus separated is not only water, but 

 contains also a considerable percentage of dry substances. 

 Happily these losses are not so heavy as might be supposed, as 

 the original percentage of dry matter is higher than 7 per cent. ; 

 it is at least 10 per cent. , and if the leaves during the period 

 they remain in the field lose a certain percentage of this moist- 

 ure, the dry substance they may contain is not less than 15 per 

 cent. , which leaves only 50 to 60 per cent, of the final liquid to 

 be eliminated. 



Wusterhagen has given the question of beet-leaf keeping and Wusterhagcn 

 drying considerable attention, and his records upon the subject dryer, 

 are worth noting. He declares that when leaves are to be 

 fed to cattle they should always undergo certain preliminary 

 preparations with a view to diminishing the percentage of oxalic 

 acid. 



Many modes for beet- leaf keeping have been suggested and 

 experimented with. One of the recent German patents declares 

 that in the question of beet-leaf keeping there are five facts that 

 must be taken into consideration: 1st. Cleaning, with the ob- 

 ject of getting rid of the sand, dirt, small stones, etc. 2d. Re- 

 duction of the toxic percentage of oxalic acid of the leaves. 3d. 

 Retaining the saccharine substance of the tops and leaves. 4th. 

 Decrease of the total volume of the mass. 5th. Complete and 

 thorough drying with a view to perfect keeping. The efforts 

 of M. Wusterhagen were to carry out these essentials to the 

 letter. Upon general principles we may admit that the green 

 leaves retain 10 to 20 per cent, sand, which offers some difficulty 

 in complete laboratory analysis. While it has been recom- 

 mended to wash the beet leaves, the idea does not appear to 

 have much practical value. The sand collects in the tops dur- 

 ing the washing and must be subsequently removed, which 

 means, in practice, an additional expense. M. Wusterhagen 

 says he allows the leaves to undergo a preliminary wilting upon 

 the ground after the beets have been harvested, and this drying 

 is continued in a curreni of hot air. The leaves thus dried are 



