27 



direct profit from the spirits produced. Those taxed as agri- 

 cultural were 16 per cent, of the entire number operated in 

 1901, and excluding the fruit stills 90 per cent, of all, which 

 last per cent, indicates the great importance of this branch of 

 the industry. Since 1887 there has been an increase in their 

 number of 1,273, but entirely among those using grain, while 

 the potato stills declined slightly. The latter numbered 6,256 

 in 1887-88 and 5,796 in 1900-1, while the former were 4,431 

 and 6,164 respectively. Industrial distilleries have also been 

 increasing, chiefly among those using potatoes, or from 12 to 

 61. Grain stills declined slightly from 953 to 884. However, 

 1900-01 w r as an exceptional year, the number having been 

 over 1,000 for the five preceding seasons. Those establish- 

 ments using other materials remained fairly constant in num- 

 ber. 



A consideration of the distilleries according to the amount 

 and character of the alcohol produced is interesting. In 

 1899 1 there were 60,926' distilleries operated of which 45.913 

 or 75 >per cent, produced not more than one-half a hectoliter 

 of pure alcohol; 10,395 more produced between 5 and 100 

 hectoliters, or 88.5 per cent, of all did not yield over 100 hecto- 

 liters, showing how small the great majority are. Of the re- 

 mainder 1,996 are in the class between 100 and 500 hecto- 

 liters, 1,298 between 500 and 1,000 hectoliters, 1,302 between 

 1,000 and 5,000 hectoliters, and 22 above 5,000 hectoliters. 

 Of the smallest class 41,014 used fruit, wine, etc. Among 

 agricultural stills the average product is much greater, partic- 

 ularly in those using potatoes. In 1899 there were 13,367 of 

 the agricultural plants; 4,776 of them were in the one-half 

 hectoliter class, of which 4,395 used grain and 381 potatoes. 

 The grain stills of the agricultural type are mostly small, only 

 493 exceeding 100 hectoliters. On the other hand, 3,764 of 

 the 5,530 agricultural potato stills exceed' 100 hectoliters and 

 1,183 exceed 1,000 hectoliters of product. The existence of 

 so many small grain stills has been explained before as being 

 possible through the direct retail of the product at high prices 



1. V. j. s. zur. Statistik etc., 1900 ; vol. 2, p. 154. 



