344 Sugar Beet in United States. 



manufacture are held to be in many respects as favourable 

 as in Europe. The one great drawback is the relatively 

 higher cost of labour. In spite of this difficulty, however, 

 beet-sugar factories have been established with success in 

 California and in one or two other States, but the number of 

 such establishments in operation at the beginning of this 

 year was only seven, although three new factories were in 

 course of erection, and proposals were being considered for 

 the erection of another. For some years the United States 

 paid a bounty on the production of beet-sugar, but the 

 bounty law was repealed in 1894. 



The estimated quantity of beet-sugar produced in American 

 factories in 1896 amounted to 40,000 tons, or 10,000 tons 

 in excess of the production of the previous year. In 1891 

 the output of beet-sugar was only 5,000 tons, but it has since 

 steadily increased. 



The annual consumption of sugar in the United States has 

 increased during the past ten years (roughly) from 54 lbs. to 

 64 lbs. per head of the population, and the total yearly 

 consumption is now about 2,000,000 tons. The imports into 

 the country during the past five years, distinguishing the 

 chief sources of supply, are shown below : — 





1892. 



1893. 



1894. 



1895, 



1896. 



From — 



Tons. 



Tons. 



Tons. 



Tons. 



Tons. 



Cuba - 



886,000 



823,000 



950,000 



824,000 



488,000 



Europe 



136,000 



208,000 



259,000 



177,000 



345 > 000 



British West Indies 



116,000 



149,000 



115,000 



86,000 



97,000 



British Guiana 



62,000 



71,000 



60,000 



49,000 



65,000 



Hawaii 



117,000 



129,000 



146,000 



122.000 



157.000 



Other Countries - 



271,000 



301,000 



410,000 



338,000 



587,000 





1,588,000 



1,681,000 



1,940,000 



1,596,000 



1,739,000 



From the above statements it will be seen that the home 

 production of beet-sugar represents but a very small propor- 

 tion of the total supply of sugar annually required for 

 consumption. It seems to be clear, however, that the 

 cultivation of sugar-beet is capable of considerable extension 

 in the United States, and that the future of the industry 

 depends now upon the extent to which capital is attracted to 



