628 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



million dollars more than the value of all the gold and silver bullion 

 produced in the same year. 



In the year 1882 our imports of sugar and molasses amounted to 

 nearly one and one fifth million tons, costing one hundred and fifty 

 million dollars, nearly one third of which sum was paid as import 

 taxes. There is no other article, or class of articles, upon which our 

 Government levies duty which yields a revenue equal to that obtained 

 from foreign sugar. 



This useful staple furnishes nearly one fourth (24'3 per cent) of 

 the amount received for import duties, and more than one seventh 

 (14*6 per cent) of the total income of the nation. 



That the demand for sugar is increasing much more rapidly than 

 our population, is shown by the increased consumption per capita. 

 The value of the sugar used in 1882 was fully one sixth greater than 

 the amount in 1881. In 1790 to 1799 the average annual consumption 

 of sugar per person was 9*05 pounds, while in 1882 the amount was 

 not far from fifty-five pounds. 



In order to obtain the sugar that we need, we find it necessary to 

 buy of nearly every tropical and sub-tropical country. By far the 

 greatest amount (forty per cent) comes from Cuba. Next in order 

 are the Spanish possessions (three and a half per cent), Porto Rico 

 (two and a half per cent), the Sandwich Islands and the Dutch East 

 Indies (each one per cent), while twenty-seven other countries unite 

 to furnish nearly forty per cent. It will be seen that there remains 

 only about twelve per cent for home production. This is strictly true, 

 for, to quote a recent authority, " From the statistics it appears that, 

 during the past twenty years, the United States have produced less 

 than thirteen per cent of their sugar-supply, and little more than 

 twenty-one per cent of the molasses consumed." 



If, therefore, our Cuban sugar-supply were suddenly arrested by 

 insurrection or international complications, we might for a season be 

 in an exceedingly embarrassing position. Possibly some other country 

 would ultimately come to our relief ; but it is very probable that, for 

 a time, there would be a scarcity of sugar, which would result in un- 

 usually high prices. Such a condition of things would surely direct 

 the thoughts of consumers and capitalists alike to our very inadequate 

 provisions for the manufacture of sugar in Louisiana and adjacent 

 Southern States, and the fact would be evident that we could not ex- 

 tend the domestic production of sugar from the cane to approximate 

 our demands. The reason lies in t^e fact that the sugar-cane is essen- 

 tially a tropical plant, and is seldom or never thoroughly ripened in 

 our semi-tropical Southern States. Early frosts compel the planters to 

 harvest the canes while yet considerably short of maturity, and conse- 

 quently before the development of as large a percentage of sugar as 

 is reached in warmer climates. 



This climatic disadvantage is so serious as to confine the profitable 



