34 



of 15 marks a hectoliter for all the spirits produced above 

 twenty per cent, more than the tax-free quantity the so- 

 called "Kontingent" allotted them by the law of 1887. * 

 This sets a limit on production which cannot be exceeded, even 

 under the most favorable circumstances, and though the price 

 of molasses has been very low of recent years the rum pro- 

 duced has not increased in amount. 



The distillers using molasses are chiefly located in the beet 

 sugar districts of Northern Germany, the province of Saxony, 

 Anhalt, Hanover, Brunswick and Silesia. The city of 

 Madgeburg is the center of the sugar industry as w r ell as of 

 molasses distilling. The number of tons of molasses and 

 beets used in recent years follow : 1887-88, 27,720; 1888-89,. 

 25,487; 1889-90, 28,\)39; 1890-91, 73,541; 1891-92, 95,370; 

 1892-93, 37,461; 1893-94, 33,826; 1894-95, 76,459; 1895-96,. 

 43,006; 1896-97, 44,540; 1897-98, 46,970; 1898-99, 34,986. 

 4. Other Materials. 



The other materials used are chiefly brewers' grains, fruit,, 

 wine, pomace, etc. The amount of brewers' grains has de- 

 clined greatly in recent years, being better utilized as cattle 

 food when spirits are low in price. The following statistics 

 are in thousand hectoliters : 1887-88, 299; 1888-89, 279; 

 1889-90, 233; 1890-91, 237; 1891-92, 253; 1892-93, 225; 

 1893-94, 188; 1894-95, 180; 1895-96, 183; 1896-97, 165;. 

 1897-98, 128; 1898-99, 116. 



Fruits, wine and pomace depend entirely on the crop, but 

 the production of brandy is considerable as the materials used 

 show: 1887-88, 414 thousand hectoliters; 1888-89, 1,076; 

 1889-90,552; 1890-91,684; 1891-92, 670; 1892-93, 678;. 

 1893-94, 1,527; 1894-95, 1,034; 1895-96, 679; 1896-97, 909;. 

 1897-98, 789; 1898-99, 708. 

 g. Product. 



In the quantity of alcohol produced Germany stands first 

 among the Nations, Eussia probably follows, and then come 

 France, the United States and Great Britain. The following 

 data have been compiled from the statistical publications of 



1. See Vierteljahrshefte zur Statistik, etc., 1897, vol. ii, p. 116. 



