The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-01-26
Not a Menace to Beet Sugar.

The report referred to on page three
of this issue of the WATCHMAN has
been presented to Congress by Mr..
Wilson, the secretary of agriculture.
The secretary states that for the
seven years ended in 1897 the average
annual imports of sugar we're 1880, 4S2
tons; that for the four years ended in
1897 the average annual imports from
Hawaii were 149456 tons; that the
average imports of Hawaiian sugar for
these four years were l per cent of
the sugar consumed in the United
States, but that for the fiscal year ended
June 30, owing to special condi-
tions, the imports rose to 81 per cent.
Eighteen per cent of the total amount
consumed in 1896 was beet sugar, while
for the year 1897, owing to the destruc-
ton of cane sugar production in Cuba,
the amount of beet sugar consumed
was thirty-seven per cent of total con-
sumption. The quantity consumed in
the year 1897 was 2096, 1868 tons. Of
this amount eighty-four per cent was
imported, and sixteen per cent, or
1856 sos tons, was the domestic product.
OF this latter, 2S7 ,007 tons was cane
sugar, Al BAT tons beet sugar, and the
remainder was maple sugar and sor-
ghum.
1t appears from these figures that the
Hawaiian sugar imports are 30 small a
fraction of the total amount consumed
in this country no real danger to the
infant beet sugar industry of the States
need be looked for from that quarter,
unless, as the result Of annexation and
the consequent encouragement to
larger investments in cane growing,
there should be great increase in pro.
duction and imports of sugar from the
islands. This secretary Wilson does
not anticipate, by reason of the exhaus-
ton of the soil from constant success
sion of crops of cane, and the growing
necessity for the use of fertilizers,
which are becoming more expensive
with the exhaustion of the guano de-
posits of the Pacific islands. Secretary
Wilson's view of this matter of the
probable increase of the sugar produc-
ton is not in accordance with the state
ments of some Others who profess to
be acquainted with the Hawaiian pos
sibilities in this direction; but if the
capacity of the islands should be much
greater than the average annual pro-
duction for the past four years they can
never, judging from the facts present
ed, become dangerous competitor of
the domestic production of either beet
or cane sugar. The American beet
sugar industry evidently has its most
formidable rival in the beet sugar pro-
duction of Germany and other Eu-
ropean countries. The beet sugar
statesmen in the United States Senate
can hardly justify their vote, or their
annouced determination to vote,
against the Hawaiian annexation treaty
on the ground that the sugar produc.
ton of the islands, present or prospec-
tive, would imperil an industry devel-
oping in the States they represent.
Secretary Wilson comes to the con.
clusion that Hawaii, as an American
possession, would offer no menace to
any branch of agriculture in the United
States. He had formerly held differ
ent opinion, on partial knowledge of
all the facts, but in the light of more
complete information he changes his
mind. In respect of American sugar
beet culture, apart from any outside is
sue, the secretary states that although
this country is consuming annually
2 600 900 tons OF sugar, ten acres of
land on each 100000 farms, devoted in
rotation with other crops to raising the
sugar beet. would supply the entire
home demand. He affirms that the
percentage of sugar in the American
grown sugar beet is much higher than
in the European, and that the quail
ties taken from the soil by the beet can
be returned to it by proper rotation
of crops. Thus the exhaustion of the