SUGAR PRODUCTION IN U. S. AND FOREIGN COUNTRIES. 35 



GERMANY. 



BEET SUGAR. 



The areas devoted to the growing of sugar beets in Germany are 

 widely scattered throughout the Empire, but the principal area is 

 confined to three sections — the central, northern, and southeastern. 

 In 1912-13, 50 per cent of the total area in sugar beets was located in 

 three provinces — 22 per cent in Saxony, 15 per cent in Silesia, and 13 

 per cent in Posen. In point of area in 1913 the sugar-beet crop was 

 exceeded by five other crops. The crops in their order were rye 

 16,000,000 acres, oats 11,000,000, potatoes 8,000,000, wheat 5,000,000, 

 and barley 4,000,000, as compared with 1,353,000 for beets. 



The area devoted to sugar beets has shown a slow but gradual in- 

 crease. Since 1897 the annual area devoted to this crop has exceeded 

 1,000,000 acres. In 1901-2 the area was 1,182,989 acres, which de- 

 creased to 1,056,708 acres in the following year. Although there 

 was almost a gradual increase, the area did not reach the 1901-2 

 figure again until 1911-12, when the area was 1,353,181 acres, which 

 decreased the following year to 1,316,655 acres. The average area 

 of beets harvested annually for the ten years 1903^ to 1912-13 was 

 1,143,208 acres, compared with 1,056,065 acres for the 10 years 1893- 

 94 to 1902-3. This represents an average annual increase of 8,714 

 acres during the 10 years subsequent to the Brussels Convention 

 compared with the 10 years preceding the convention. 



The production of beets in 1901-2 was 17,650,983 tons, which 

 exceeded the production for any year prior to 1912-13. In the 

 latter year the production was 18,344,738 tons, which increased in 

 1913 to 18,672,939 tons. The average annual production for the 10 

 years 1903-4 to 1912-13 was 14,583,883 tons, compared with 14,162,151 

 tons for the preceding decade. 



The average annual production per acre for the decade 1903-4 

 to 1912-13 was 12.75 tons, compared with 13.41 tons for the decade 

 1893-94 to 1902-3. The decrease in the latter decade is due chiefly 

 to the low yield of 8.03 tons in 1911-12. The low average yield that 

 year was caused by a severe drought that affected all of the crops 

 of western Europe. If the yield in 1911-12 had been normal — that is, 

 6 tons more per acre — the 10-year average would have been 13.35 

 tons, or practically the same as the preceding decade. The highest 

 average production of beets per acre for any one year was 14.92 

 tons in 1901 ; this was followed closely in 1905 by 14.90 tons and in 

 1910 by 14.72 tons. The farm value per ton of beets has increased 

 from $3.84 per ton in 1903-4 to $5.42 in 1911-12, or an average for 

 the decade of $4.56. The value of beets per acre ranged from $52 

 in 1903-4 to $70 in 1912-13. The year of 1911-12 was noted for two 

 characteristic features: The price paid the grower, $5.42, for beets 



