Middletown transcript., 1911-01-21
SUGAR CONSUMPTION

sumo balftheir own weight in sugar ever
year. This may seem a startling state
ment, but if We take the quantity OF sugal
produced in the United States and add tc
this the quantity brought from our own
islands and the quantity imported from
foreign countries, and subtract theFefrom
the amount exported, we get a grand
total Of considerably more than billion
pounds consumed in the country; and by
| dividing the population into this grand
total, We get an average of sl3 pounds
| per capita, speaking in round terms, for
1910, and about alike quantity for 1909.
It is not assumed, of course, that each per.
son necessarily consumes sugar equal to
one.half his individual weight; but taxi
ing the total consumption and compar.
ing it with the total population in the
section known as continental United
States, the average yearly consumption
of sugar is found to be about 8l3 pounds
per capita. q
In fact, the people of the United States
are larger consumers of sugar per capita
than those Of any other country Of the
world except England, for which the
latest figures show.a consumption aver
aging 86 pounds per capita against our
own average Of 814 pounds per capita.
The next largest per capita consumption
is in Denmark, 77a pounds; followed by
Switzerland, 64 pounds; Sweden, 81
pounds; and Germany and Holland, each
about 433 pounds.
Not only is the United States the
second largest sugar consumer per capita,
but the total amount consumed annually
is much greater than that of any other
country, aggregating, az above indicated.
more than billion pounds per annum,
against obout billion pounds in England |
and about 8 billion pounds in Germany. |
About one-haf OF the sugar consumed |
in the United States is brought from fore.
ign countries, about one-fourth from our
islsnds, and the remaining one-fourth pro-
duced in this country. The total produc-
ton of the sugar in the United States
now amounts to / I billion pounds ayear,
Of which more than billion pounds is
beet sugar and about three fourths of
billion cane sugar. 1t is only recently
that the production of beet sugar in the
United States has come to exceed that Of
cane sugar In 1900 domestic production
of cane sugar was twice that Of beet sugar
aud 20 years ago was more than 50 times
as great; but the growth of beet sugar
production has been very rapid in recent
years, and in 1907, for the first time, ex
ceeded in quantity that produced from
cane and so continued since that time.
OF the sugar brought from other count.
riee, nearly all is made from the cane.
While about half of the worlds sugar is
made from beets, most of it is produced
in Europe and consumed in the country
Of production or in other parts Of that
grand division, while most of the world
outside of Europe obtains its sugar from
cane, grown in the tropical and snb.
tropical sections. OF the cane sugar
which we consume, most Of that coming
from foreign countries ia drawn from Cuba
The Dutch East Indies, and smaller
amounts from the West Indies, Mexico,
Central and South America. All of that
coming from our own islandg-Porto Rico.
Hawaii, and the Philippines cane
sugar, while of the domestic product
about 40 per cent is produced from cane
The beet sugar OF the United States is
grown chiefly in Colorado, California, Q
and Michigan, and some in Utah, Idaho t
md Wisconsin, while most OF the cane n
Iugar is produced in Louisiana, with
mailer quantities In Texas, Florida, a
Georgia and South Carolina. v
The eugar "habit" is evidently a grow. b
ng one with the people of the, United
'tates aud probably with those Of Other p
Countries, since the total world prodnc-
ion Of sugar, including all countries for p
which statistics are available, has in
reased 80 per cent. in the last decade C,
nd about doubled in Is years. In our v
.wn case the consumption has shown Il
apidRrowth, the per capita consumption
aVing been, in 1880, 40 pounds; in 1890, o.
l pounds; in 1900, SO pounds and in 1910 al
pproximately Sl2 pounds. al
What is the cost Of this enormous b
uantity Of sugar consumed IN tIIe United m
tates2 This is more difficult answer.
'he.yaIuatiou Of that brought from for cl
ign countries and our islands is set down 81
t about 175 million dollars; though this al
high figure when consider Il
BY the price per pound. is due to the IL
ict that the valpation is based upon the
efned article, Willie that of the sugar fr
ON tt1e Of tiIe uure fined i "a
rticle in the country Of production. II,
owever, We accept 8 general average Of 4,
c per pound as the retail price paid BY II
ar people for the III billion pounds Of m
lgar consumed by them in 1910, We -
lould get total of $S66, ,0O0,OO or an n
versge Of approximately 1000, 1000 ;
ay paid for sugar by the, people IOf the d,
United States. n
OF