The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-03-23
2.261.771 $119.217.0

4
The government report also includes
100, long tons of sugar from the
Philippines, valued at $7.SO2. PAL.
which is omitted from the above table,
as it is actually the product of Ameri-
can soil.
Sugar also figured among the ex-
ports of the United States during 1914
to the extent of l4,334 long tons, val
ued at s712,l9 Deducting these ex-
ports from the figures given above
leaves 2,247,43 long tons, valued at
the ports of entry at $118,444 1856, as
the net imports for the year.
These dry figures contain material
for some interesting and instructive
comparisons
Exports of wheat from the United
States in 1914 amounted to 173. .S61 .944
bushels, with total valuation of
$ls7, ,ls4, 100, an average price of $1.07
a bushel. This was the highest price
at which the export wheat crop had
been sold for ten years. Even with
this unusually high price of wheat.
however, over SO per cent of the whole
amount exported. or 110696. 1876 bush
els, was required to paw for the i'm
ported sugar bought from foreign
growers and dealers. To grow the
wheat that went 30 settle this sugar
bill it was necessary to till 7.S06.5
acres at the average yield of the past
ten wears. This is nearly one-eighth
of the normal wheat acreage of the
entire country and represents an area
almost equal to the combined total of
the improved land in the three large
western states of Montana. Wyoming
end Utah. Practically all the wheat
grown in the four great agricultural
states of Minnesota, Wisconsin. Til
nois and Iowa, was required to foot
the nations bin for imported. foreign
grown sugar.
IF it We're impossible to grow sugar
in the United States it would be excus-
able to use this large proportion of
our wheat crop to paw for sugar i'm
ports As statistics published by the
Department of Agriculture show. how
ever. there are no less than 279. 900 600
acres in the country adapted to sugar
growing and all the sugar imported
into the United States last year could
have been grown on approximately
100000 acres of our own land. Bul
letin 260 of the Department of Ag-
riculture gives list of nineteen states
adaDted to sugar beet growing.
The relative effect of wheat and su-
gar upon the land is shown hv the
fact that an acre of wheat takes forty
pounds of nitrogen from the soil, while
an acre of beets takes thirty pounds
In the case of beets, however, none
of the nitrogen is contained in the
sugar itself. Tt is all in the pulp and
tops, which, as bv-products of sugar
extraction. are fed to stock and so
returned to the soil In exporting
wheat, on the other hand. the precious
nitrogen goes with it and is lost to
the nation.
The net result of the uneconomie
policy of the United States in failing
to grow its entire sugar supply and
in paying for the imported portion in
exported wheat involved a loss to the
country in the single year of 1914 of
approximately 100000 tons of nitro
gen. Sugar itself is made up of car
bon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Tt may
best be described as crystallized sun
shine stored in the beet or cane plants
by nature and extracted by man. In
importing sugar, therefore, we are buy
ing foreign sunshine. In sending
abroad American-grown wheat to bal
ance the account we are selling the
very lifeblood of the soil. The ruinous
ultimate result of this policy upon the
agricultural resources of the country
is obvious