The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1878-10-05
dW . Esamimer
The Sugar Industry.

The department of agriculture of
the United States has collected
large amount of data of late concern
ing the importation and consumption
of sugar and molasses in this coun-
try. This has been done to show
how large a sum of money is annu-
ally spent abroad, and which may be
hereafter kept at home should the
newly proposed plan of manufacture
ing sugar from the stalks of Indian
corn prove successful. IL is not the
intention here TO argue the point
whether sugar and molases can be
produced in paying quantity from
the article in question; the commits
sioner says it can, and that his chem
list who has for some time past en-
gagged in analysis has demonstrated
that Indian States will yield all the
saccharine product that is yearly con-
sumed and for which we now depend
in great degree upon foreign man
ufacture. This of course must be
demonstrated by time and expert
ment; at present we purpose looking
at the statistics showing to what eX-
tent sugar is used in this country. IL
appears that the United States, from
1860 to 1878. produced less than 13
per cent. of the cane sugar 1t con-
sumed, and little more than q per
cent. of the molasses. The leading
sources of foreign supply are Cuba,
Spanish provinces, Porto Rico, French
West Indies and Guiaena, Brazil,
Dutch East Indies, British West In
dies and Honduras, British Guiaena
and Sandwich Islands. The largest
importations are made from Cuba,
from which we annually receive
about 81 900, 900 worth of sugar, and
the other sources range from 81 ,0OO,-
900 to S3,000,0O0 each. In 1860 there
was 4l5,2S1 tons of sugar consumed
in the United States, of which 49,
O3l tons were made at home; in 1856,
of $780, 800 tons, but 5000 were made
in the Southern States. In 1897 the
home production rose to 22,500 tons,
against total consumption of 400
568 tons in 1871 home manufacture
reached its highest point since 1862,
1900 tons, while the total consump-
ton was 633,3l4 tons. In 1877 the
United States produced 1900 tons,
and imported SOL $50 tons.
As to the production and consump-
ton molasses the same holds good.
The largest amount made in the Uni
ted States was in 1862, 81, 01S,000 gal
Ions the smallest amount in 1856,
$4,000 gallons. The annual impor
tations of this article have ranged
from 20,3SS,55 gallons in 1861, to 3d.
57S,96p gallons in 1S6S-the highest
point. The average has been be-
tween 35,000,000 and 100000 gal
Ions. In 1876 there was produced at
home the largest amount since 1862,
l2,35O,00 gallons, and the same year
there were Imported 36,459,504 gal
Ions.
The foregoing figures do not in
clude the Pacific States. So, in ar
irving at the per capita consumption
their population is deducted. Equal
izing the increase east of the rocky
mountains during the period from
1850 to 1870, and allowing for the de-
structive influence of the years of
warfare, il is ascertained that the rate
per capita stands as follows in
pounds: 1860, 1888; 1861, 26,l4; 1862,
30,73; 1868, 20,O5; 1864, 1887; 1865,
24,0S; 1866, 26,35; 1867, 26,l7; 1868,
1918; 1869, 30,S5; 1870, 3l,76.
The custom house imports of sugar
for 1874, 1876 and 1886 were as fol-
lows: $92, $40, 203: $50, 033,5l7 and
S66, 1896, 553 making the average value
of imported sugar for those three
years, SS1, $4,000. 1t must not be
Understood that these totals represent
the sums that have actually passed
into foreign hands for our sugar sup
ply, for at least two-thirds of it re-
turned to tho United States as duties,
--Mica1O Prairie Farmer,