2 BULLETIN 486, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE. 
GEOGRAPHIC LIMITS OF THE SUGAR-CANE INDUSTRY IN THE 
UNITED STATES. 
Climatically, the sections of the United States which are more or 
less well adapted to the culture of sugar cane are the extreme southern 
portion of South Carolina, all of Florida, the southern third of the 
States of Georgia. Alabama, and Mississippi, the southern half of 
Louisiana, and the low coastal plains of Texas. Apparently the 
lower lying valleys of southwestern Arizona and southern California 
are adapted under irrigation to cane culture, though it has not been 
tried extensively in these sections. 
In the portions of the country to which cane culture is restricted 
climatically it is further limited by its soil requirements. The crop 
can be grown profitably only where the soil is of the best. 
Table I gives the acreage in sugar cane in the several States as 
shown by the census report of 1909. together with the total yields of 
cane and of sugar, molasses, and sirup. By molasses is understood 
the product from the residual liquor after removing part of the 
sugar. Sirup is the product made without the removal of any of the 
Table I. — Sugar-cane, sugar, molasses, and sirup production in the United States 
in 1909. 
States. 
Area in 
crop. 
Produc- 
tion of 
Farms reporting. 
Value of 
crop. 
Percent- 
Number, age of all 
farms. 
Average 
area per 
farm. 
Average 
yield 
of cane 
per acre. 
Acres. 
United States 476. 849 
Tons. 
240. 260 
226. 634 
Alabama 27. 211 
Arizona 16 
Arkansas 3. 330 
Florida 12. 925 
Georgia 37. 046 
Louisiana 329. 684 4. 941. 996 
Mississippi 24. S61 222.600 
New Mexico Ill 
North Carolina 294 
Oklahoma 
South Carolina 7, 053 
Texas 34. 315 
19.868 
142.517 
317.460 
267 
1,494 
2 
59.865 
307. 502 
§26. 415, 952 
1.52 
166 
719 
152. 298 
089. 698 
268. 110 
752. 537 
506. 8S7 
3.467 
10. 697 
56 
434. 634 
669. 6S3 
Acres. 
Tons. 
>7S. 233 
4.4 
1.7 
13.1 
61.226 
23.3 
.4 
8.3 
8 
.1 
2 
3.4 
5,286 
2.5 
.6 
6 
19. 663 
39.3 
.7 
11 
64.458 
22.1 
.6 
8.6 
34. 487 
2S.6 
9.6 
15 
52.860 
19.3 
.0 
9 
73 
.2 
1.5 
2.4 
596 
.2 
.5 
5.1 
1 
19. 857 
11.3 
.4 
8.5 
19. 718 
4.7 
1.7 
9 
States 
In plantation mills, covered by In factories, covered by the manu- 
the agricultural census. ' facturers' census. 
Sugar. Molasses. Sirup. 
Sugar. Molasses. Sirup. 
TJnited States 
Pounds. 
125, 647 
Gallons. 
4,153 
Alabama 
3, 351 
50 
130 
Florida 
47, 661 
1.339 
Georgia 
Louisiana 
Mississippi 
22. 392 
38, 143 
1, 665 
319 
1.325 
740 
North Carolina 
Oklahoma 
South Carolina 
5. 525 
250 
Texas 
6.910 
Gillons. 
21.633.57t 
Tons. Gallons. Gallons. 
326, 858 24. 587, 581 1. 449, 8 
3. 07S. 531 
1.040 
286. 637 ' 
2. 533. 096 l 
5. 533. 520 
4.125.0S3 352,497 24.342.555 a 942. 997 
2,920.519 ' 
5,088 : 
21,677 
56 .-- 
881.558 
2.246.774 1.361 245.026 506.863 
a The statistics from 16 factories in Louisiana making sirup from sugar cane are not included. 
