The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-08-30

Some remarkable statistics have lately
been published in England rotating 10 the soy
era countries in both hemisphere which are
producers of cane sugar. Suprcmentng those
with the most recent data bearing ON the beet
root industry. MS well as on the cane crop II
Louisiana and TcNas We may arrive mt some
interesting facts concerning the principal pur-
voyors OF this important staple. with this OK
hbit. il will hs instructive to compare tho eN-
tent to which the United States have become
consumers Of the article.
The total production Of raw sugar in the
ycar 1873 is computed at about 3.juO.uOO
tons. To this aggregate 2.lip.UUJ tons was
contributed by the cane crop. Among the pur-
veyors Of cane sugar we are not surprised 10
find the island of CUBA credited with 1Du.uDO. OF
not far from two-llths Of The whole. Few per-
sons. however. not connected with the COM
mcrcc in the staple. would aspect t. see another
island that Of Java. ranking next upon the list.
it, yield is act down at 2oOO0O-morc than
Brazil. which follows with 10000. and is itself
closely pressed by another East Indian pur-
vcyor. by which 10000 were supplied in the
same year. Nearly the same amount, or 10000.
is assigned 10 China. while about 10000 tons
were produced in British India and Penang.
countries in which great attention is beginning
to be directed to cane planting The combined
canc crop Of the British. Dutch and Danish
West Indies including the Guianas. is csti-
mated at 2j0.0Oo. in which total. we need not
say. the proportion of jamaica has vastly fallen
of since the abolition # slavery In the same
tables we find the yield II Porto Rico stated at
10000 tons. and that Of Egypt. Peru. Mexico.
and Central America together at 10000. We
come. finally. to those four islands-two in the
American and two in the African SONS which
u Ip n. nil
French market OF these the Mauritus still
furnished hundred Thousand tons. and La
Reunion about thirty. while Martinique and
Guadaloupc are jointly credited with another
hundred We may add that. according TO a
rercnt writer in the Horuc DIES Dclp Nondes the
area assigned TO the cane crop in Martinique s
now at least tenth smaller than in the day Of
slave labor.
What is the position Of Louisiana in this listY
There was time when she would have been
named next TO Cuba among the puryeyors of
cane sugar. Precisely how much Of this article
may have been exported To- foreign countries
from New Orleans in the prosp, rous decade BE-
fore the war we cannot as 'crtuin; but in 1850
thu amount Of domestic ST. sar consumed in the
United Staios was not Jess than los 900 tons
This quantity had swollen hy 1853 90 l72po0.
and in 1859. and again in lsG2. touched the
ruin then fen upon our sugar industry may be-
measured by IN fact TINT tho cane crop .hrank
IN the very next year To- 10000 tons. This again
fell of in 1864 to 900 and hy iSfj the closing
year Of the rebellion dwindlol To- the 4 'porablc
minimum Of 5000 tons. Meyer. perhaps. in
the history OF III " rid had an Industry OF such
maicstic proportions so swiftly aud completely
persisted. That which was shattered i'm three
years. has in twelve but very slowly and very
PARTIALLY recovered. According to the last an
nual report Of the New York Chamber Of Com
mcrco. tho estimated aggregate crop Of Louis-
ana. Texas and other southern States In
1875 10, most Of which was distributed in 1876.
did not exceed II 900 tons.
When we reflect that Dcct-root sugar. as an
an article Of commerce.. dates no further back
than the wars of the first Napoleon. the develop
mcnt which this branch Of production has at
tnined in threc-quarters Of century is aston
fishing. But Of the 3.5uOOnO tons which.
as we have seen. summed the yield II raw
sugars throughout the world in 1878. not
less than l.3l7.OO1 tons were traceahle to this
source. Nor is this industry, as is popularity
supposed. to marked extent monoDoli2ed by
France. That country. it is true. still furnishes
more than any other. namely. Ago O0O in the
| year Just named. But tn" German Empire. with
| 3i6.n0O. WAS not far behind. while Austria
| Hungary which came later into tho field. could
| point to 10000. Even Belgium and Holland to-
| gether supplied about 100 Ou0tons Butthe great
purycyors of this staple in the future will prob
ably be Russia and Poland. Already in these
tables they are credited with PAS 900 tons and it
| L. certain, according 10 Mackenzie Wallace. that
The planting Of the sugar beet is acquiring i'm
mcnse impetus in the midland provinces OF the
northern empire. How formidable competi-
tor this article has already become to the pro-
duct of tho cane may hc measured from the fact
| that In q good year the countries mentioned are
almost competent 10 supply the whole demand
81 Europe. whose consumption for the year
ending Nov |. 1876, is stated AT 1,G33.O0O tons.
| In the United States the total consumption Of
sugars in 1876. including tho product Of tho
| maple tree and the sugar made from molasscs.
| j. computed at 10000 tons. This is three and n
half per cent less than in 1875 but il is at least
n hundred per cent. moro than the amount con-
sumed in 1853. or than the average Of the de-
| cadc Immediately preceding that year. Such nm
| increase. altog"' r disproportionatc To the
| gain in population. presents "A curious problem
| for the consideration II the political economist
| The consumption OF sugar. which of all So
| called Injuries "a in most general demand. Is
! commonly rcputol "A trustworthy test Of Il ooun.
try's prosperity. Yet 1t viii hardly bee contendel
that the ratio of the national wealth 10 tho num-
| her II inhabitants il at present higher than il
wa. in lsj9 Certainly wa DO not feel 50 rich as
We did in the flush times Of 1866. YET the con
SUMPTION of sugar was then lutte more than
half OF what 1t WINS Inst year.
A. regards TIE pr sprets Of tho SUGAR trade
| during the present season. We have TO chronicle
a p lgnal falling of IN the beet crop from the
figures ahoyo cited for 1875 &c. The estimates
for ls7G II have steadily and RAPIDLY shrunk