The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-05-02
Beet Sugar Industry In
 United States and Europe

slrhe ann eancement that $10, ,000,00 vrr45rt s,f 45ayko fsaet sugar factories are under construction in the beet sugar area of the United States, chiefly the sectton Hing west of the Missouri Riv- er. calls attention to the rapid growth in beet sugar production in this coun- try as illustrated by figures compiled by the National City Bank of New York. These show that the quanti- ty of beet sugar produced in the Unit cd states grew from 100000 pounds in 1890 to <Is5,00o. 900 in 1900. l. OPS ,o00, 900 in 1910 and 1,642.0oO,oOO in 1916. Only ten years ago, in 906, the production was but s2o,000,00O ID s and formed but 10 per cent of the su- gar consumption of the United States, In 1918 1t was 1.e42, ,00o, 900. or nearly 20 per cent. of the consumption. The present reports as to the number or factories likely to be available Tn the coming season suggest still further increase in the percentage which our domestic beet fields will supply of the sugar consumption of the United States
 The growth of the beet sugar in dustry in the United States has been | extremely rapid. The capital of the beet sugar factories Is shown by cen sus reports at $2o, ,142.ooo in 1899, and s142,ls1,o 600 in 1914, and seems likely to reach the $2o0.ooo,000 line in 1slf' since the number of factories operat- ed in 1916 was 25 per cent greater than in 1914. and this larger total | Is again to be increased by 1b new factories now under construction. The total value of the beet sugar output fn cRnSIlS i s7, ,s24.000 in 1899, and $62, 900 in ] 1914. seems from the best available ! statistics to have approximated $1oo.- GOO. 900 in 1916. Should the rateSof 1 production increase in proportion to f the growth in number and capacity of sugar mills, it is not improbable that the beet fields may produce 25 1 per cent of the consumption of 1917 against 20 par cent. in 1916, and 10 per cent. in 1906. This estimate as to the higher percentage which beet sugar may form of the consumption :, of 1917 is based in part upon the as- { sumption that the quantity consumed will, as a result of high prices, show fall when compared with years in f which prices were materially lower. The average per capita consumption in the United States in 1914 with a prices at the normal was 89 pounds per capita and with the advance in prices, fell to 86 pounds per capital in 1915, and TT pounds per capita in 1916
 The events of the war have advanced the rank ofStfis United Estates among | the worlds beet sugar producers. Prior to the war, beets produced about one- half of the sugar supply of the world but the rank of the United States which had but recently became a pro- ducer of beet sugar, was extremely low. With the events of the war, the output of beet sugar produced in En- rope has fallen nearly one-half, the estimated output of, the 1916-17 croI year being but 4,S14.000 tons against s.349e00g fn the crop year 1912-13 The crop of Germany for 1916-17 is estimated at 1,5e0, 900 tons, Russia l.
 25o, ,00o, Austria 9A5, ,0o0, Holland 27O,-
 900, France 185,o00 and Belgium
 100000 while the beet sugar produc
 ton of the United States in the croI year 1916-17 is now estimated at 735,'
 900 tons, thus giving the United States fourth rank at present among tho worlds producers, of beet sugar.
 1, The peer capita nconsunt Ion Of tht principal countries of the world hai
 been BT6aIly QlSdIIduSCd OJ b1c We~i The consumption in the year 1nnrne
 diately preceding the war is estimat
 ed at 89 pounds per capita in the Unit
 ed States, 90 pounds per capita il
 England, 75 pounds in Germany, ant ss pounds per capita in Denmark. N
 figures are of course obtainable as t
 present per capita consumption in tn
 countries at war, but the reduction
 is presumably much greater than il
 the case of the United States, il
 which, as shown above, the consump
 ton has fallen from. S9 pounds pc
 capita in 1914 to TT pounds per cap
 ita in 1916, this fall of nearly IA pc
 cent. being presumably due to high
 CT prices, while present indication
 are that the per capita consumption
 in 1917 will be still less than that o
 1916.
 The great reduction in beet suga