33 



of tlio rye used, as only a relatively small amount of barley and 

 other grains were distilled. The estimates are in thousand 

 tons: " 1887-88, 205; 1888-89, 329; 1889-90, 332; 1890-91, 

 350; 1891-92, 491; 1892-93, 323; 1893-94, 325; 1894-95, 

 322; 1895-96, 293; 1896-97, 265; 1897-98, 270; 1898-99, 

 282. 1 Taking 280,000 tons as the quantity used by the dis- 

 tillers in 1899, we find that it was 4 per cent, of the amount 

 remaining in the country for consumption after deducting ex- 

 ports and seed and adding imports. 



The distillation of indian corn has been increasing very 

 rapidly in recent years. The amount so used has been sep- 

 arately reported for four years only, but in that time the quan- 

 tity has nearly doubled. In 1895-96 there were used 36,797 

 tons; 1896-97, 46,871; 1897-98, 59,765; 1898-99, 59,801. 

 The corn used is entirely imported, chiefly from America and 

 Russia. Germany is a growing market for this product. 



There were also used in 1899 3,621 tons of "other mealy 

 materials," representing chiefly potato starch and the wastes 



of starch manufacture. 







3. Molasses. 



The distillation of rum from molasses is at present of little 

 importance. In the early years of the beet sugar industry 

 the last product of sugar-making, molasses, was placed upon 

 the market at low prices and large quantities were used for 

 distilling purposes. But .with the advance in the technic of 

 sugar manufacture methods of more perfectly crystalizing the 

 sugar were discovered. Consequently, the price of good 

 molasses raised greatly, and that from which the sugar had 

 largely been extracted was an unsatisfactory raw material for 

 distilling. In addition, alcohol from molasses is usually from 

 one to one and one-half marks lower in price than potato or 

 grain spirits. These conditions have greatly depressed this 

 once flourishing branch of distilling. 



In 1895 a further hindrance was placed in its way by the 

 restrictions of the graduated distilling tax of that year, ac- 

 cording to. which the molasses distillers must pay an extra tax 



1. Sources same as for potatoes. 



