General View of the Industry . 5 
vantage of this condition is not strikingly apparent, but 
war forces the situation home. 
Within the last century the world’s use of sugar has in- 
creased from about one million tons in a year to twenty 
million, an increase of two thousand per cent. There 
are many reasons for expecting this increase to continue 
until the world’s requirement will be several times what it 
now is. At present the United States uses about five 
times as much sugar as it produces from beets. It is 
evident, therefore, that beet-sugar is still only a minor 
factor in supplying the home demand. 
In view of the increasing importance of sugar as a food, 
that great areas of land in the United States are well 
adapted to beets, that only a small percentage of the 
sugar consumed in the country is produced at home, and 
in view of the many benefits of a domestic beet-sugar 
industry, it seems imperative that greater attention be 
given to the sugar-beet in America. 
