The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1912-06-24

iwere able to keep flock OF doz-
en- chickens these would just about
supply the average demand for poul-
try and eggs OF the latter the aver
age consumption is a little more than
two a day for each household. Many
of these are used in the manufacture
of various food products and do not
figure directly in the marketing
bills in which these items probably
amount to ten or twelve dollars a
year
Lead In Bread.
Since bread is the staff of life.
and bread to the American means
wheat almost exclusively, it is per-
haps not surprising that we consumed
approximately 567,oO40O0 bushels
of wheat last year, according to Of
fetal estimates. This means; tina,
seven barrels of flour were used by
the average American family. Pur-
chased in this form and prepared for
consumption in the home in accord
ance with the custom that prevailed
a generation ago, this would have
meant an expenditure per family oil
slightly over $50. In less than hall
the homes in the country is bread
baked at the present day, however,
and the custom of patronizing the
corner bakery Inevitable increase
the expenditure on this account tc
a considerable extent.
Next to meat, bread, milk, butter
and eggs 1t is probable that sugar
and coffee are articles of more near
ly universal consumption in the Uni
ted States than any others.
Coffee is one of the few food pro-
ducts of which the entire supply
must be purchased in other countries
but this does not deter the Ameri,
can people from using S70,000,0O0
pounds of 1t every year, or nine and a
quarter pounds for each man, woman
land child in the country. The price
| of coffee has doubled in the past
half dozen years and the expendi-
lures for this breakfast luxury al
the retail rates prevailing probably
represent an outlay of abouts10 !
year for each family. Of tea, on the
other hand. Americans consume re-
latively little, less than five and Z
quarter pounds being used by each
family at a yearly cost of between
two and three dollars.
When 1t comes to sugar, 1t must
be admitted that Americans have q
very pronounced sweet tooth. They
sugar apiece in the course of a year.
or more than the people Of any coun-
try except England, and the United
States as a whole uses nearly ono
fifth of all the sugar produced in the
world. OF the average consumption
of eighty pounds, however only about
Ione-half is brought direct for family
use,the other half being used in
manufacturing various food product 5
Sugar is almost the only article Of
general household use also that has
not been subject to marked ad-
vance in price within the past few
years. Expenditures of the aver
age family on this score amount to
about s12 year or Just about the
amount that is spent for coffee and
tea. In view of the food value OF
sugar as a supplier of energy, this
Is a very moderate expenditure.
1t doubtless will surprise most
persons to learn that the United
States now produces about half OF
all the sugar consumed in the
country. The sugar beet farmers of
the country provide over billion
pounds Of sugar year; the cane
sugar growers of Louisiana and
Texas furnish about 100000, 600
pounds additiOnal. Hawaii, !. Porto
Rico and the Philippines send L.
500, 100000 pounds additional; Ha-
wall, Porto Rico and the Philippines
send ,1,S00,0O0,000 pounds. The
remaining half, or 100000, 900
pounds, comes almost entirely from
Cuba. From the economists view
point sugar is of peculiar interest as
the only commodity now purchased In
vast quantitiesfrom foreign producers
which the United States can grow
from it's own soil. 1t is claimed that
If the domestic sugar industry con-
tinucs to receive the encouragement
Of the government as 1t has in the
past through a customs duty on the
imported product, this result will
be accomplished within another two
decades and this is about the only
hope of keeping the balance of trade
in foodstuffs favorable to the United
States. II the 100000 or more
now sent abroad to pay for sugar
were disbursed through domestic
-, 4 t.rtfs trnd n