The Harmsworth Universal Atlas 



The World's Commodities.— 5. Sugar and Pepper, 



SUGAR.— A sugar map of the world, showing the regions avail- 

 able for sugar cultivation, would now include practically the entire 

 civilized world, whereas fifty or sixty years ago the zone of cultivation 

 did not extend much beyond the Tropics. At present, beet sugar is 

 produced by all the countries on the Continent of Europe. 



In the last 60 years the consumption of sugar has increased 

 from 1,500,000 to about 9,000,000 tons, and within this period the 

 beet sugar industry has developed from a production of some 200,000 

 to 5,000,000 tons. Statistics of the sugar industry necessarily include 

 only marketed quantities, since in tropical countries, and notably 

 India, enormous quantities of indigenous sugar are consumed by the 

 inhabitants. The struggle between beet and cane has been fierce, 

 but, contrary to the general impression, the output of cane sugar has 

 expanded rapidly of late, rising steadily from 2,500,000 tons in 1900 

 to 4,000,000 in 1905. The estimated output for 1906 was 4,300,000. 

 While in 1840 beet sugar represented but 5 per cent, of the world's 

 total output, in 1900 beet sugar comprised two-thirds of the total 

 production ; but in 1905 the proportion had fallen to 55 per cent. 



The United Kingdom is the only European country that does 

 not cultivate sugar. Experiments have shown that the sugar-beet 

 growswellinEngland, but, until quite recently, the bounties granted 

 by European Governments frequently resulted in sugar being sold in 

 the United Kingdom at prices below the cost of production. 



Cane Sugar is obtained from a grass which grows in warm, 

 swampy districts. Originally a native of India, the sugar cane is 



especially associated with the West [ndian islands, South America and 



Java. India is estimated to produce 3,000,000 tons of cane sugar 

 which is consumed locally. Southern China produces large quanti- 

 ties that do not come into commerce, Japan's production is approxi- 

 mately, 100,000 tons. In the cultivation of the sugar cane. Native 



labour is essential, as work in the plantations is unsuited to white 

 men. The juiceof the cane is extracted by milling, and from it raw 

 sugar is crystalhzed by boiling, filtering, and chemical processes. Tha 

 remaining molasses are now used for cattle food. The stalks (bagasse) 

 are practically valueless even for fuel, which is inv:iriably scarce in 

 sugar cane countries. 



Beet Sugar, — The discovery of sugar in the beet was made by a 

 German chemist, Margraff, in 1747. In i8r2, a manufactory was in 

 operation in Silesia, but, with the downfall of Napoleon and the 

 opening of European ports to Colonial jjrcjducts, the ]>roduction of 

 sugar in Germany was abandoned, though in France the industr}' 

 continued to exist, owing to high duties on Colonial products. By 

 1825 there were one hundred sugar factories in France, but the 

 average yield of sugar was but 4 to 5^ per cent., compared with 12, 

 and even higher results now achie\ed. Aided by a system of 

 Government bounties, the cultivation of beet on the Continent has 

 resulted in the establishment of an enormous industry,the production 

 in Europe in 1902 being 6,825,000 tons, and it was thought this figure 

 might be exceeded in 1906. The German Empire now leads in 

 the production of beet sugar, followed by Russia, Austria, Hungary 

 and France in the order named. Beet sugar production necessitates 

 more care in cultivation and more expensive machinery than cane, 

 but it holds the advantage that, unlike cane sugar, it can be produced 

 in populous districts where a market exists and where the residue 

 can be consumed by cattle, 



PEPPER {piper nigruDi), a climbing plant, provides the white 

 and black pepper and peppercorns of commerce. Indigenous to 

 South India and South-east Asia, it Is chiefly cultivated in the 

 Straits Settlements, Sumatra and Siaiii, and the Malabar coast, 

 Singapore is the great pepper port. 



THE WORLDS PRODUCTION OF SUGAR 



( in tons.) 



BEET. 



WORLDS PRODUCTION 

 BEET SUGAR 

 A. 9 1 7.000, 



V 



OtRMASY 



RUSSIA 

 95S,62e. 



AUSTRW-HU^GAfff FfiANCE 

 809,373 622,-122. 



J SA 

 Z 09,000, 



CANE. 



4: 



^ 



WORLDS PRODUCTION 



CAHE SUGAR 



4-, 006,000 



CUBA 

 1. 1 00.000. 



JAVA 



998.000 



OTHER 



W INDIAN II 



& □ E PH E liJi RA 



■4Zf .OOQ 



SANDWICH 1^ 



aeo.ooo 



5- 



330,000 



AUSTRAUA A^I^TIU 

 I BO, 000 126,000. 



BRITISHJMPORTS 

 BEET&CANESUGAR. 



?m 



CcET SUGAR 



li-v.iie.ee? 



CANESUGAP 

 £5.332,044 



BRIT[SH IMPORTS OF SUGAR. 



BEET. 



GERMANY 



£[0,4 02,0 00. 



FRANCE 



£.i.sia,ooo. 



NETHERLANDS 

 ;£09Z.OOO. 



DEL.OIJH 

 3.706,000. 







AUSTRIA KU^y* 

 X359.OC0 t^P'>^ 



CANE. 



JAVA 

 i 1.569,000. 



PERU Vi INDIES 



£719,600. £S9B,000 



FPAHCE NETHERLANDS BR CUIAW ""'^J 



£537,000. 1463.000 1 30S,DOO X^^^.^W 



CANE 



1640 



THE wo R LD'S SUGAR 

 SHOWING GROWTH OF BEET INDUSTRY. 



CROP 1,150,000 tona 

 5% only BEET 



CANE 



^^n^l'^^ /crop 9000,000 tons. 

 ^^^ \ 55% BEET. 



( ' 



PEPPER IMPORTS INTO THE UNITED KINGDOM 



5TlfAITS SETTLEMENTS 

 ^27^^002 



FRANCE ARD 



fnZNCM IhDO'CKIHA 



.f72,603 



BlfmSH INOJA 



(CUIEFIY WADRAS) 



if65,653 



JAVA Ac 



NETHERLANDS 



S34,I55 



SI AM 



I20 40e 





I 



14 



