Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-09-22

The above ngureS refer 10 The Whole
Nation. Actually. 1t is said, the per
capita consumption was much higher,
because prohibition had been adopted
by 81 States in 1914.
While beer consumption almost
trebled In the As years proceeding the
World War, consumption Of other al
coholic beverages remained practically
unchanged. Consumption of potable
spirits. for example, had been gradu-
ally declining from two gallons per
capita In 1870 to less than l.5 gallons
in 1914 This was to certain extent
due to the increasing number OF dry
states. Consumption of wine, a luxury
beverage. fluctuated widely according TO
varying prosperity, but never exceeded
OF gallons per capita.
More Than Billion Invested.
About $792 5000 was invested in
breweries and about SAT 900 600 in malt
ing establishments. There was, besides
this, q considerable investment in
saloons, bars. beer gardens, etc. Total
capital invested in beer manufacturing
and distribution must have been over
one and one-fourth billion dollars.
As to the actual quantity OF materials
used In beer brewing in 1914, no figures
are available, but the report of the
commissioners Of internal revenue in
1917 shows the principal agricultural
raw materials used in production OF fer
mented malt liquors during that year
as follows:
Malt, 8l.4 million bushels.
Hops, Al g million pounds.
Rice, 1855 million pounds.
Corn, 11.9 million bushels.
Grits, 1882 million pounds.
In that year consumption OF beer IN
A.. 1,os ak rent
of the total population of the country
amounted to $50 ,000, 900 gallons. On
the basis of these figures and consider
ing that barley loses some weight and
volume during the mailing process, it Is
estimated that the amount OF barley
used in beer brewing before the war was
from 100, 900 900 to 10000, 900 bushels
annually. In addition. 100000 to 10
600 900 bushels Of corn and 100000 to
5. 200, 600 bushels Of wheat must have
been used.
ResoId Most of Malt.
Production of barley in the United
States before the war Q900-19l4 av-
eraged about 175,000,o00 bushels. Evil
IDENTIFY most OF this production must
have found its way into breweries, the
rest being used as cattle fodder. Brew
cries, however, resold most OF the malt
used in beer making to farmers. TINS
used malt has higher value as cattle
fodder than barley itself.
During the last four years (l927-
1930) there have been very large barley
crops-almost 300 900, 900 bushels a
year. Such crops, it is argued, would
be more than sufficient to take care of
possible needs of the brewing industry,
even considering some increase in pop
ulation and per capita consumption.
Farmers would get some Of the malt
back, and the remainder would be easily
replaced by other cattle folders.
Barley is crop giving much better
yield than wheat, averaging rs to 81
bushels per acre, whereas wheat yields
only 10 10 IS bushels. Barley is 4
harder crop than wheat-next to oats
the hardest of all cereal grains-and
does well, not only in Northern lati-
tudes. but also in sections with small
rainfall. Minnesota. Dakota, Wiscon-
sin and high and dry sections of Colo
RADIO and California have been the chief
sources of barley in the United States.
To what extent the brewing industry
survived is hard to tell. Many brew
cries have been converted into cold
storage and ice plants, others are man
ufacturing carbonated beverages and
still others are making near beer. On
the other hand, it is commended home
brewing has become an established i'm
dustry; John C. Gebhardt, director Of
research, Association Against the Pro-
hibition Amendment, insists the per
capita consumption of beer now is &C
tually higher than before the war.
That a good deal Of beer brewing Is
done outside of the plants brewing near
beer is proved, many argue, by the fact