INTRODUCTION. cv 



* 



The importance of the fabrication of sugar can be seen in the following table, which ind cates the 

 production of this substance throughout the world : 



Annual 



Bengales, China, Siam ........................ .............. 200, 000, 000 pounds. 



English tuiuiiies ............................. ............. 440, 000, 000 &quot; 



Spanish &quot; .......................................... 650, 000, 000 



Dutch &quot; .......................................... 100,000,000 



Swedish and Danish ....... , ............................... 20, 000, 000 &quot; 



French colonies ............ ................................ 220, 000, 000 &quot; 



France* .................................................. 303,000,000 



Belgium ................................................... 12, 000, 000 &quot; 



Brazil ..................................................... 350,000,000 



United Stalest ............................................ 420, 000, 000 



Germany ................................................. 304, 000, 000 &quot; 



llussia ............................. ...................... 70, 000,000 &quot; 



Totalf 3, 149, 000, 000 



EXTRACTION OF SUGAR FROM THE BEET. 



Iii so important a fabrication we cannot enter into all the particulars, but give an account of the 

 different processes followed in French manufactures. 



The beets are taken out of the ground when they have acquired their full growth, and are care 

 fully separated from those which have been injured by the operation. The beets are made into heaps 

 in the field, and covered with leaves until there is danger of frost, when they must be housed or buried 

 in pits. The upper part of the root at the starting point of the stalk is cut off, because this portion is 

 harder and contains but little sugar. 



The beets, after being cleansed and washed, are thrown into a machine, which reduces them to 

 as fine a pulp as possible, and breaks up the cells. The pulp is placed in woollen bags laid on each 

 other, and between which metallic plates are introduced; after which the mass is compressed by a 

 screw-press, and the juice ccollected which flows out, and which constituted about 0.4 of the juice 

 contained. The bags and plates are then placed under the platform of an hydraulic press, which is 

 unscrewed after having maintained the pressure for about ten minutes, when the bags are placed two 

 by two between two plates, and again still more powerfully compressed In this manner 75 to 80 per 

 cent, of beet-root juice may be extracted, only about fifteen parts being left in the pulp. 



As the juice soon changes, it is essential to raise it as quickly as possible to a high temperature, in 

 order to prevent fermentation, and to saturate with some lime the free acids, which would soon convert 

 a portion of the sugar into glucose. For this purpose the juice on leaving the press is conveyed into 

 a double-bottomed boiler, heated by steam, and the temperature is rapidly raised from 140 to 158 ; 

 afterwards it is conveyed into another boiler, also heated by steam, where the desiccation or treat 

 ment with lime is effected. Hydrated lime is usually made by pouring on quicklime ten times its 



The fabrication of beet-sugar in France since 1828 to 1836 has raised from 5,330,000 pounds to 90,000,000. From 1837 to 1847 it oscil 

 lated between sixty-two and one hundred and six millions. Since that time the production has varied between one hundred and twenty-four and 

 one hundred and fifty-four millions. In 1856 France produced 184,000,000, and in 1858, 303,067,000. 



(Louisiana alone produced, in its 1,400 factories, 280,000,000 pounds of raw sugar, and more than 150,000,000 gallons of molasses. 

 J If to this sum we add the quantities consumed in the East Indies and other parts of the world, not enumerated in the above table, we find 

 the quantity to amount to 5,100,494,000 pounds, thus classified : 



Cane-sugar 2,900,000,000 



Beet &quot; 960,000,000 



Maple &quot; 40,494,000 



Palm &quot; 200,000,000 



5,100,494,000 



14 



