The San Francisco call., 1906-12-14
CALF FORN|A LEADS
IN CANNING
Interesting Statistics in the
Preserving of Fruits and
Making of Beet Sugar
VALUE OF INDUSTRY

WASHINGTON, Dec. 13.-The Bureau
of the Census has just published re-
ports on the industries of canning and
preserving and manufacturing beet
sugar, covering the statistics on these
subjects for the year 1904. The lead
ing State in the total value of canned
products was California, for which
S24.S26.12s was reported. most of 1t for
fruit. canned or dried New York was
second to California reporting products
valued at s12,9I0,755. This State held
the production of any particular class
of goods. but because it canned large
quantities of nearly all classes.
In the total production for the United
States the largest was canned vege-
tables the value OF which was s45.-
2e2.14S. or All per cent of the total.
Canned and dried fruits come next with
a value of s27,30S,S2e. The value of
fish was $685. ,075, of which canned
fish constituted s16,9s3.779, smoked
fish s2.362.740 and salted fish s6,20O,-
556. The value of oysters, canned, was
S3,7ee,412.
CANNING AND PRESERVING
The industry of canning and pre-
serving. as defined by the Bureau of
the Census. embraces all establish
ments which are engaged primarily In
canning or preserving fruits, vege-
tables. fish. oysters, CLAIMS and shrimps
There were 2703 such establishments in
1904. Their total capital was s70,0s2,-
o76 and they employed 53.s62 persons.
+ paid out S17, 54,SoS in wages con-
sumed materials costing sT0,o5S,e $50
and manufactured products to the
value of slOS,5o5,4Ti. In all of these
/ items, except that of the number OF
persons employed, the industry shows
/ marked increase since the census of
1900. The decrease in the number of
persons employed was slight and was
due to the increased use of the con-
tract system under which laborers are
not reported as employees.
The canning and preserving of fruits
and vegetables is by far the most i'm
portant branch of the canning industry
/ The 2261 establishments engaged in it
used S47.e2s ,4s7, or SIS per cent of the
capital and employed 3e,9SS, or 7e.6
per cent Of the wage-earners. The five
leading States, ranged according to the
value of all products, were California,
Maryland, New York, Indiana and Il
linois.
In the production of canned and dried
fruits California led with a product
valued at s21.00O.o0o.
Alaska led in the production of
canned and preserved fish. 1t held
! that position because of it's salmon
/ canneries. the value of the salmcn
canned in that Territory being s7.61S.-
| 5fS. Washington, which was second
In salmon canning, reported products
valued at s2,4S1,605, or less than one
third the amount reported by Alaska
BEET SUGAR PRODUCTION
The manufacture of beet sugar was
/ carried on in fwalxa Cfofac +t,o 49,
OF the census of 1905. The leading
States were Colorado, Michigan and
California The value Of products was
s7,1sS,sS2 for Colorado, s5.37S,Oo4 for
/ Michigan and s4,415,172 for California.
These three States produced 6s7 per
cent or the total product reported for
the United States
The largest sugar factory in this
country and one of the largest in the
world is located in California. which
State possesses a larger acreage that
is well adapted to the growing of
sugar beets than is found in any other
/ State in the Union. In California and
Colorado irrigation is used in the grow
/ ing OF beets. In the latter State ex-
tensive experiments in feeding cattle
and sheep on beet pulp are being car
ried on, and the beet pulp branch of
the industry is further advanced here
than in any other State
! The manufacture of sugar from beets
is comparatively new industry in.the
/ United States, but it has progress lat
a rapid rate Statistics for this indus
try We're reported for the first time at
the census of 1880. Between that year
I and 1905 the number of establishments
increased from 4 to 81; the capital,
from s365,000 to sos, 1923, ,459; the num-
Der of wage-earners, from $50 TO 39e3;
the wages, from s62,271 to s2,4Ss,7o2;
? xta
12S to $14.486,S76: and the value of
products, from s2s2,572 to s24,3s3,7s4
INDUSTRY WELL ESTABLISHED
The greater part of this increase has
taken place since 1900, when the num-
Der of establishments was 80 the capi-
tai $2O,14l,219, the cost of materials
S4,S03,7S6, and the output $7,323,S57. In
that year there were 1870 wage earn
ers employed in the sugar factories,
receiving s1.092,207 in wages. Thus in
the five years between 1900 and 1905
the total amount paid out for the ma
terials used In the beet sugar Industry
| increased threefolS and the total value
| of the products more than threefold,
| while the average number of wage
| earners doubled and the total amount
paid in wages more than doubled.
The 2,175,417 tons of beets used in
the manufacture of beet sugar were
4 grown on 240,757 acres and cost $11,-
! 345,7S5. More than four-ffth of these
beets were grown by contract by inde-
pendent farmers. for there is a ten
dency among the factories to contract
for as much of the crop as possible
rather than to have a large acreage of
beets grown directly by the factory.
The beet sugar industry seems to be
thoroughly established. and the in
creased production is steadily reducing
the amount of sugar imported from
] other countries.
WHERE BARK Is USED FOR SALT
In Lapland they have no salt, and
the bark of the fir tree is used as a
! substitute. The Lapps peel the bark
! frOp7 frs1p nf "a oar