SUGAR PRODUCTION IN U. S. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 27 



COSTA RICA. 



CANE SUGAR. 



The area of Costa Rica used for the growing of cane lies in the 

 central and Pacific coast region. The total area under cultivation in 

 1910 was 3,000,000 acres, of which 32,331 acres, or 1 per cent, was 

 in sugar cane. Three other crops exceeded cane in area that year. 

 These crops and their areas were: Coffee, 78,528 acres; corn, 67,910; 

 and bananas, 62,721. About two-thirds of the cane area is located in 

 San Jose and Alajuela and one-third on the Pacific coast. The cane 

 grown along the coast ripens in about 18 months, while that grown 

 in the higher regions in the interior requires 24 months to ripen. 

 The area used for cane increased from 25,590 acres in 1905 to 27,636 

 in 1907-8, to 32,331 in 1910, but decreased to 29,474 in 1914. The 

 number of factories decreased from 16 in 1905-6 to 11 in 1914-15. 

 The annual production of sugar during the last 10 years has not 

 exceeded 4,000 tons and varied from 3,360 tons in 1902-3 to 2,751 

 in 1908-9, to 3,883 in 1911-12, and to 2,926 in 1914-15. The produc- 

 tion of sugar is insufficient for domestic requirements, and the im- 

 ports during the last 10 years varied from 6 tons in 1905-6 to 315 

 tons in 1912-13 and to 47 in 1914-15. 



BRITISH HONDURAS. 



CANE SUGAR. 



Statistics of the sugar industry of British Honduras show a de- 

 cline in both area and production of sugar during the last 20 years. 

 The area in 1893-94 was 1,766 acres, which decreased to 1,412 in 

 1902-3, to 1,023 in 1905-6, and to 985 in 1912-13. The production 

 of raw sugar increased from 745 tons in 1893-94 to 887 in 1902-3, 

 but decreased to 375 in 1912-13, or an average of 587 for the decade 

 1903-4 to 1912-13, as against 628 for the preceding decade. The soils 

 best adapted to growing of cane are in the northern and southern 

 part of British Honduras ; the soil in the central part is not adapted 

 to the growing of cane and is used for other crops. The production 

 of bananas, coconuts, mahogany, and plantains has taken the place of 

 the sugar industry, but in 1913-14 there were still 14 sugar factories 

 in operation, of which 9 were operated by steam power and 5 by 

 horse power. The United States was the best market for the ba- 

 nanas, but Mexico was the destination for most of the sugar. 



ARGENTINA. 



CANE SUGAR. 



The first sugar mill was established in Argentina in 1840, and the 

 first vacuum-pan apparatus for making sugar from cane juice was 

 introduced in 1858, but the introduction of improved machinery for 



