15^ 



REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OP AGRICULTURE. 



The cost of these sweets is a serious burden upon the country. We 

 have the soil to produce a full supply either of cane or beet sugar and 

 laborers suffering for work, and measures should be taken for a rapid 

 increase of home production. The details of cost of the sugar used in 

 this country, subject to a slight reduction from re-exportation, are thus 

 given in the statistics of the customs receipts : 



Fiscal year of 1876. 



Sugar, brown , poaQcls.. 1,414,254,063 $55,702,903 



Sugar, refined pounds.. 19,931 1,685 



Molasses gallons.. 39,026,200 8,157,470 



Melada, sirup, &c .....pounds.. 79,702,878 2,415,995 



Candy, &c pounds.. 87,955 18,500 



66,296,553 



Fiscal year of 1875. 



Sugar, brovrn pounds.. 



Sugar, refined pounds.. 



Molasses gallons.. 



Melada pounds.. 



Candy pounds.. 



85,032,517 



The average cost of the brown sugar of 1875 at the foreign port of 

 shipment was 4 Jg2_ cents per pound ; of that of 187G, 3y^^ cents. 



ISince June 30, 1870, the price has materially advanced. The amount 

 received in the quarter ending December, 187G, is 198,318,913 pounds, 

 costing 4.G cents per pound, or 17 per cent, advance over the average of 

 the previous fiscal year. Tliis was caused by the shortage of beet-sugar. 

 Analyzing the receipts of that year, we find that the highest prices are 

 paid for imports from the Sandwich Islands. The sugar of British 

 Guiana, Cuba, and the Dutch West Indies, respectively, come next ia 

 order of value per pound. 



The followiug table shows the sources and values of the importation 

 of the past year ; the remainder, which is but 3 per cent, of the whole, 

 comes from 21 other nations: 



The following statement gives in detail the amount of domestic and 

 foreign sugars taken annually for consumption since 18C0, the im- 

 ports minus the small quantity re-exported, exclusive of those on the 



