72 MANGEL-WURZEL. 
large, and of deep red colour ; and, when boiled, they 
are tender, sweet, and palatable. 
It has lately been ascertained that beet roots may be 
substituted for malt, if deprived of the greater part of 
their juice by pressure, then dried, and treated in the 
same manner as the grain intended for brewing. The 
beer, made from beet, has been found perfectly whole- 
some and palatable, and little inferior to that prepared 
from malt. 
From white beet the French, during the late war, en- 
deavoured to prepare sugar ; that article, as a British 
colonial produce, having been prohibited in France. 
For this purpose, the roots were boiled as soon as pos- 
sible after they were taken from the earth. When cold, 
they were sliced, and afterwards the juice was pressed 
out, and evaporated to the consistence of syrup. The 
sugar was obtained, from this syrup, by crystallization. 
From 110 pounds' weight of the roots, 41 J pounds of 
juice were obtained, which, on further evaporation, 
yielded somewhat more than 4^ pounds of brown sugar ; 
and these, by a subsequent operation, produced four 
pounds of well grained white powder sugar. The resi- 
duum, together with the syrup or molasses which re- 
mained, produced after distillation, 3^ quarts of recti- 
fied spirit, somewhat similar to rum. 
81. MANGEL WURZELor ROOT OF SCARCITY, 
is a plant of the beet tribe (a variety of Beta cicla) with large 
and red veined leaves ; those arising from the root being on 
footstalks, and those of the stem being without stalks, and the 
flowers growing in threes. 
The farmers, in some parts of Germany, cultivate this 
plant as food for cattle, and they are said to prefer it, 
for that use, to potatoes, turnips, carrots, and indeed to 
most other vegetables. It was introduced to the public 
notice in England, by the late Dr. Lettsom ; and it has 
been strongly recommended, not only for the feeding 
of cattle, but also for the use of man. Both the leaves 
and root grow to very large size ; and the former, which 
