In a beet-sugar factory each set of apparatus for performing a given process is termed a “station.” In the chemical laboratory the juices and products from each station are tested hourly to check up the correctness of the work and to determine the losses of sugar in each process in the factory.] [Illustration: CIRCULAR DIFFUSION BATTERY. After being floated in from the sheds the beets are elevated from the flume to a washer, where they are given an additional washing before being sliced. From the washer they are elevated and dropped into an automatic scale of a capacity of 700 to 1500 pounds. From the scale they pass to the slicers, where with triangular knives they are cut into long, slender slices, which look something like “shoestring” potatoes. These slices drop through the upright chute seen at the right side of the picture, and are packed tightly into cylindrical vessels holding from two to six tons each; the battery consisting of eight to twelve vessels arranged either in a straight line or in circular form. Warm water is run into these slices, and coaxes out the sugar as it passes from one vessel to the succeeding ones. After passing through the entire series of vessels the water has become rich in sugar, of which it contains from 12 to 15 per cent, depending upon the richness of the beets. It then is drawn off and is called diffusion juice or raw juice. This is carefully measured into tanks and recorded. As this juice is drawn off the vessel over which the water started is emptied of the slices from the bottom, the exhaust slices containing in the neighborhood of ¹⁄₄ to ¹⁄₃ per cent of sugar. These slices are carried out from the factory in the form of pulp and fed to stock, as explained later.] [Illustration: HOW THE SUGAR IS TAKEN FROM THE BEET CARBONATATION AND SULPHUR STATION. Warm raw juice is drawn into the carbonatation tanks and treated with about 10 per cent milk of lime--about like ordinary whitewash. This lime throws out impurities, sterilizes the juice and removes coloring matter. Carbonic acid gas from the lime kiln is forced through the lime juice in the tank, throwing out the excess of lime, converting it into a carbonate of lime or chalk. Tests are taken here by the station operator to show when the process is finished.] [Illustration: FILTER PRESSES.