Rocky Ford enterprise., 1911-01-20
SUGAR CONSUMPTION.
Interesting Data Supplied by Depart
ment of Commerce and Labor.

ment of Commerce and Labor.
The people OF the United States
consume half their own weight in
sugar every year. This may seem a
startling statement, but If we take
the quantity of sugar produced IN the
United States and add to tins the
quantity brought from our own ISL
ands and the quantity imported from
foreign countries. and subtract there
from the amount exported, we get a
grand total of considerably more than
billion pounds consumed i'll the
country; and by dividing. the popuia-
ton into this grand total, we get an
average of 81 pounds per capita.
speaking in round terms. Tor 1910, ana
about a like quantity for 1909. 1t IS
not assumed. of course, that each
ocrson necessarily consumes sugar
.ouaI to one-half his individual
weight: but taking the total consump..
ton and comparing it with the total
nonuIation in the section known as
continental United States, the aver
age yearly consumption OF sugar Is
forrd to be about SIH pounds per
capita. ,r,:,
in fact, the people of the United
States are larger consumers oil sugar
per capita than those OF any other
country of the world except England
for which the latest figures show
consumption averaging 90 pounds per
anita, against our own average OF
2IiI mounds per capita. The next
largest consumption is i'll Denmark,
- A.. pounds: followed by Switzer-
and. q pounds: Sweden 81 pounds:
md Germany and Holland. each about
t,H pounds. -,
Not only is the United States the
second largest sugar consumer per
anita. but the total amount consumed
annually is much greater than that OF
INV other country. agGregating. as
| hove indicated. more than billion
| ,ourds per annum. against about !
| ,;llion pounds in England and about
, billion pounds in Germany.
| About one-half OF the sugar CON
| .uned in the United States is brought
rom foreign countries. about one
-ourth from our own islands, and the
.emaininp one fourth produced in this
| .ountry. The total production OF su-
| -ar in the United States now amount:
n ii billion pounds 4 year. ot
| which more than u billion pounds Is
| beet sugar and about threc-quartcrs
| Il A billion cane sugar. II is only re-
| entity that the production OF beet su'
ar in the United States has come to
| .xcccd that of cane sugar. In 1900
domestic production OF cane sugar
vas twice as great as that Of beet
sugar, and 20 years ago was more
han 60 times As great: but the growth
| beet sugar production has been
cry rapid in recent years. and IN
oo-. for the first time. exceeded IN
uantity that produced from cane and
as so continued since that time.
OF the sugar brought from other
.ountries. nearly all is made from
.anc. While about half OF the world :
,ugar is mads from bcets. most OF 1t
= produced in Europe and consumed
n the country of production or III
lther parts OF the grand division:
while most of the world outside OF
Europe obtains its sugar supply from
.arc. grown OF course. III the tropical
| md suttropical sections. OF the cane
| -uCar which we consume, most OF
hat coming from foreign countries is
'rawn from Cuba. the Dutch East
ndics. and smaller amounts from the
Vest Indies. Mexico. Central and
| South America. All of that coming
rom our own islards-Porto Rico.
| Hawaii. and tie Philippines-,is cane
ugar, while OF the domestic product
| bout 10 per cent is produced from
II
| 'tates i grown chiefly in Colorado.
'alifornia. and MICHIGAN, and some
| l Utah. Idaho. and Wisconsin: while
| r0st Of the zane sugar j. produced i'll
| orisia-7 Nth smaller quantities in
Texas. Florida. Georgia, and South
| CAROLINA
The sugar habit" is evidently a
rowing one with the people OF the
United States and probably with
hose of other countries. since the
| otai world production OF sugar. in
.luding all countries for which statis-
| ics are available. has increased 90
er cent in the last decade and about
| 'oubicd in r5 wears. In our own case
he consumption has shown rapid
'rowth. the per caDita CONSUMPTION
'avinC been. in 1870. 10 pounds: in
| 500. 81 pounds: in 1000. 50 pourds:
md in 1910. approximately SIk
rounds.
What il the cost of this enormous
''7rtitv of sugar consumed in the
| United States' This is more difficult
% answer The valuation OF that
brought from foreign countries and
nu- islands is set down at about I7S
million dollars in 1910. and the stated
value OF that produced in the United
States. at approximately IS million
| lollarS: though this comparatively
rich figure when considered by the
| Hricc per mound. is due to the fact
that the valuation is based upon the
refined article. while that OF the SUI
| gar from abroad is the value of th-
inrcfincd article in the country OF
| production. Ii. however. We accept
1 general average OF &C per pound
- the retail price paid by our people
for the : I-s billion pounds OF sugar
| consumed by them in 1910, we should
get total of S366.ooo.ooo. or an aver