Sugar-Making 261 
SLICING AND EXTRACTION 
The chief object sought in slicing is to obtain as large 
a surface as possible and at the same time to leave the 
pieces of beet in such a condition that they will not pack 
into a mass through which water will not pass readily. 
Many kinds of slicing knives are used, but all cut the 
beets into long thin strips called “cossettes.”” These are 
so thin that the sugar contained in the cells of the root 
can readily diffuse out into the water with which the cos- 
settes are treated in the diffusion batteries. The cor- 
rugated slicing knives revolve rapidly and are able to 
handle large quantities of beets. 
The cossettes pass from the knives to the cells of the 
diffusion battery, shown in Plate X XVII. These are large 
iron containers, cylindrical in shape, and terminating in 
truncated cones having covers; they are arranged in a 
circle or in a straight line. The series usually contains 
from ten to fourteen of these tanks. Each is so con- 
nected at the bottom by means of a pipe with the top 
of the next in the series that a continual flow of warm 
water passes through the cossettes as long as they remain 
in the battery. The batteries are so arranged that the 
container which has had its charge for the longest time 
receives the fresh water, which removes the last bit of 
sugar that can be extracted. The pulp from which the 
sugar has been removed is dumped out and the tank is 
again filled with fresh slices. This tank then becomes the 
last in the series and receives the water laden with juice 
after it has passed through all the other cells of the bat- 
tery. 
