As they arrive by rail from receiving stations, or by team, or traction
engines from the farm, beets are stored in bins or sheds, the capacity
of which ranges from 6000 to 35,000 tons per factory, depending upon
location and general climatic conditions.
The bins are V shaped, about 3 feet wide at the bottom, 20 to 30 feet
at the top, and they are 20 to 30 feet high. As beets are needed,
beginning at one end of the bin the loose three-foot planks at the
bottom are removed one at a time, and with hooks attached to long poles
the beets are rolled into the flume or cement channel below, in which
they are floated into the factory. This is not only to save labor,
but to loosen up the dirt which attaches to the beets, thus partially
washing them. The water which is used in the flumes is warm water from
the factory.]
[Illustration: TYPICAL AMERICAN BEET SUGAR FACTORY.
These factories cost from half a million to three million dollars.
They consume from 500 to 3,000 tons of beets per day, and during the
“campaign,” which usually lasts about three months, will produce from
12 to 75 million pounds of granulated sugar. There are 73 of these
factories, located in 16 States, from Ohio to California. During the
operating season they give employment to from 400 to 1000 men each.]
[Illustration: WASHING THE SUGAR BEETS