The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1892-12-03
THE SUGAR INDUSTRY
In the United States
MUST NECESSARILY INCREASE.

States only contribute 300 600 tons of
that amount. When it is known that
our Republic is by itself as large az
the whole of Europe hat it's lands
are the most fertile in the wide world;
when one remembers that there lies
along the borders of the Gulf of Mexi-
co from the Western extremities of
Texas to the Eastern confines of Flori-
da a soil, its equal nowhere to be
found, specially adaptable to the cul-
tlvation of the tropical sugar zane i;
that in nearly all the vast extent Of
the Great and Far West there are mil
lions upon millions of acres of arabic
lands capable of producing the sugar
beet, and consequently enough sugar,
to supply the demands of the New
World and a portion of the Old, one Is
surprised at the meagre result obtain
ed after more than Due hundred years
of experience in the sugar industry.
The Secretary of Agriculture, Mr..
Rush, in his remarkable report that
he has just published, declares, il
words that cannot be misconstrued,
that the United States can amply pro-
duce all the sugar needed for home
consumption under the system of pro-
lection.
1t is, consequently, a we'll establish
ed fact that we can manufacture in
the United States all the sugar we
need, an article indispensable to our
people, above all other people.
In consulting the statistics at Wash
ington, we will perceive that the pop
ulation of the United States is the
largest consumer of sugar, since it abb
serbs, annually, 70 pounds of sugar
per capita, or in other words, 2-275. 900
tons annually. This number of 70
lbs. per capita seems enormous ; yet
it only represents a mean proportion
OF n fifth Of a pound per day; and
if we take into consideration the hab-
its of the families in the United States
where pauperlsm is very limited, oae
can readily understand that this
amount of pounds of sugar consumed
per capita is not exaggerated.
How then car our people who con-
sumo, annually, 2.275.OOO IONS of SUI
gar, and could easily produce twice
that much. only cultivate, in reality,
SOC. 900 tons. that is to say one eight
Of the home consumption, and resign
themselves to import from abroad the
other seven Fights
There are some who pretend that
the United States cannot complete
with the sugar producing countries
of the Old World on account Of the
high price of labor on this side of the
Atlantic, and of the extremely low
price on the other side. This is an
error. In the first place, lands in
Germany and France cost very high,
hundreds of dollars-$3O0, 5000, and
sometimes more per acre. 1t is neces-
sary that capital thus invested. should
reap from the sale of the products of
the land, a remunerativc interest.
Then, the lands have been in cultiva-
ton for centu ries ; they reed costly
and abundant fertilizers to keep up
their producing properties. In short,
the soil needs rest, to avoid becoming
irrevocably sterile SO many Obsta-
cles to conquer are reasons that in
crease the value of the product.
Nothing of that sort here, where our
soil is almost virginia., where the va
ried succession of crops is rarely nec-
essarv, where fertilizers cost less. and
are less Indispensable. where the land
cost very cheap, and sometimes is
given for almostnothing-all this more
than compensates the difference in
the prices of labor. Let us add, more
over, that in this grand Union Of
States, the lands are So abundant and
the properties so vast in extent, that
the farmer is Oftentim-s unable to
cultivate at once all the lands belong
ing to him.
With these facts given. we are sur
prised that after more than a century,
the sugar industry has not been more
developed in the United States, espe-
cially with the aid o: the neet.
1t is almost inexplicahle that our
Union has not been able yet to pro-
duce all :he sugar it consumes. Like
with its cereals, it ought to be able
today to flood a portion of Europe
with tho prndu.t nf its ooua, ord