Sugar Producing Plants. 471 
air to destroy the vacuum and opens the pan below, drop- 
ping the contents into a long receiver, which is placed 
over the centrifugal machines. 
Centrifugals are vertical drums whose periphery is made 
of perforated brass plate or brass wire gauze. A portion of 
the masse cuite, as it is termed, is let into them from the re- 
ceiver, and they are then set in rapid motion, making 1,500 
turns per minute. The masse cuite is thrown violently against 
the perforated plate, and the syrup finds its way through the 
holes and into the outer casing from which it runs to tanks 
below. In the centrifugal, the sugar is left in a nearly dry 
state. It is light yellow in color, of a well-defined grain 
and has a salty taste. It is quite easy now to make it white 
by throwing a little water on it, while the centrifugal is in 
motion, or sending a jet of steam through it, but as this 
melts so much of it, and besides has only a partial whiten- 
ing effect, it is now abandoned in most places, and yellow 
aw sugar is produced, 
This is called the first product and amounts to from six 
to thirteen or more per cent. on the weight of the beets 
according to their quality. 
The syrup which runs off, is still of considerable value, as 
it contains fully two per cent, of sugar on the weight of the 
beets. It is utilised by boiling it up again and then letting 
it stand in a hot room until the sugar gradually settles out 
of itself. Then it is again put into the centrifugals and a 
second product is the result, which is darker and less pure 
than the first product. 
The resulting syrup now will hardly crystallise any 
more, by reason of its impurity, and so special means are 
taken to get rid of the impurities, which have gradually 
increased in proportion as the sugar has been extracted, 
until they now form a great percentage. It is found by 
practical ‘experiment that if the sugar in a liquor does not 
represent more that 60 per cent. of the total sulids dissolved 
in that liquor, some special purification is needed. When 
the liquor left the clarifiers it had 85 per cent. of the total 
solids, Zs sugar now there is only 60 per cent, This has 
