262 The Sugar-Beet in America 
The pulp is carried off in a stream of water to a silo, 
where it is held till it is dried or hauled away to be fed 
to stock. Plate XIX. Methods of handling the pulp 
are discussed in detail in Chapter XII. The juice, con- 
taining the sugar, on coming from the batteries is dark in 
color, and, in addition to the sugar, contains many impuri- 
ties which must be removed before the sugar can be made 
to crystallize out. Up to this point, the method of mak- 
ing beet-sugar differs completely from that used for cane- 
sugar; beet juice is obtained by diffusion, whereas the 
cane juice is removed by crushing. 
PURIFICATION OF THE JUICE 
After the juice is measured, it passes to the carbonation 
tanks (Plate XXVII) where purification begins. Here it is 
treated with 3 to 4 per cent of caustic lime in the form of 
thick milk. After thorough agitation, the excess lime is 
precipitated with carbon dioxid from the lime kiln. The 
addition of lime is considered the most important opera- 
tion in the sugar mill, and unless properly done the 
final product is affected both in color and amount. The 
effect of lime on the juice is both chemical and mechanical. 
The lime unites chemically with a number of substances 
that later interfere with the manufacturing process, and 
it causes many of the solids held in suspension to settle to 
the bottom, leaving a clear liquid of light amber color. 
When the proper condition in the juice is obtained, it is 
passed through filter presses, shown in Plate XXVIII, to 
remove the precipitated lime and other solid matter. 
These solid materials are retained in the frame of the 
