The sample beets having been cleaned, are cut into quarters, one-quarter of each beet being taken for the general sample. This general sample is placed in a grinding or shredding machine, the beets are disintegrated to a fine pulp and thoroughly mixed. A specific amount of this fine pulp is then accurately weighed and placed in a copper pan or dish called a capsule. A small quantity of dilute lead solution is introduced to assist in clarifying, and sufficient water added to bring the volume up to 200 cubic centimeters. It is then heated for about twenty minutes and vigorously agitated, so that the sugar-bearing juice of the beet will mix evenly with the water that was added. The mixture, after being allowed to stand for several minutes, is filtered through paper and a certain amount placed in the observation tube of a polariscope. The instrument will show the amount of sugar in the solution, and by multiplying the reading by two the per cent of sugar in the beets will be found. If in preparing the sample only sufficient water had been added to bring it to a volume of 100 cubic centimeters, the polariscope would give a direct reading of the percentage of sugar in the beets. Practice has demonstrated, however, that the method described is the more accurate. [Illustration: _By permission of Truman G. Palmer, Esq._ HAULING BEETS] [Illustration: _By permission of Truman G. Palmer, Esq._ DELIVERING BEETS TO THE FACTORY BY WAGON] To ascertain the purity of the juice, the procedure is as follows: A part of the shredded sample is taken and the juice is squeezed out of it. The amount of sugar in this juice is determined by aid of the polariscope, and a Brix spindle shows the amount of solids it contains. By dividing the polarization by the Brix and multiplying by 100 the purity is obtained, which means the percentage of pure sugar in the total amount of solids contained in the solution. The purity of the juice has an important bearing on the subsequent manufacture of the sugar. It is difficult and costly to extract sugar from low-purity juices, and the loss of sugar in the process is very high. The reverse is naturally true if the juices have a high purity. The purity of the juice in the beet is materially affected during the growing period by climatic conditions, rainfall, irrigation, fertilization, state of soil and cultivation. Great care and attention must be given the beet to insure high purity and heavy content of sugar. From the above it will be seen how the net weight and the percentage of sugar in any particular wagon- or car-load of beets are ascertained, as well as the purity of all the beets that enter a factory. The efficiency of the work in a factory is based on the figures thus obtained. MANUFACTURE OF BEET SUGAR The process of making sugar from the beet is highly technical in its details and cannot be fully discussed within the scope of this work. A brief description, however, will give an idea of the general methods followed.