9 BULLETIN 1370, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
TaBLE 1.—Sugar-cane sirup production by States 1 
State 1899 1909 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 
Gallons | Gallons | Gallons | Gallons | Gallons | Gallons | Gallons | Gallons 
Qeorcia =. ae eee 3, 226, 367| 5, 533, 520/10, 640, 000) 9, 697,000) 7, 335, 000) 7,040, 000! 5, 103, 000) 3, 800, 060 
wowsiana sass. 2 ee 1, 552, 641) 4, 125, 083) 3, 672, 000] 4, 640,000) 6, 454, 000) 6, 490, 000) 6, 718, 000) 6, 684, 000 
Alabama seee so eee 2, 672, 438) 3, 078, 531) 8, 480, 000) 7, 665, 000) 8, 760, 000) 11, 937, 000 9, 920, 800) 3, 816, 000 
Mississippi-____------- 1, 413, 219} 2, 920, 519] 6, 675, 000} 7, 358, 000; 7, 582, 000) 7, 020, 000 5, 565, 000 610, 000 
(Pl OTIC asec ae = ee ae 1, 687, 452) 2, 533, 096] 4, 590, 000! 6, 110,000; 6, 300,009) 4, 800, COC; 4, 255, 000} 5, 200, C00 
MMOxXaS 222 ee 888, 637] 2, 246, 774| 2, 421, 000) 2, 215,000) 3, 192, 000) 2, 485, 000) 2, 118, 000} 1, 091, 000 
South Carolina_______ 805, 064 881, 558} 1, 369, 000 858, 000) 1, 107, 000) 1, 288, 000) 1, 100, C00 962, 000 
Aran Sasa eee 44, 819 286, 637 336, 000 437,900) 437,000 531, 000 594, 600 135, 000 
North Carolina_____.- 1, 957 21, 677 (2) (2) (2) () (?) () 
IATIZON Ae eee eee 438 1, 040 (2) (2) (2) - &3{2) (2) (2) 
New Mexico_-___------ (2) 5, 038 (2) (2) | (2) (2) (2) (2) 
Oklahoma os = (2) 56 (2) (2) ()szeon 2) a (2) 
Mg falenes esos 12, 293, 032|21, 633, 529|38, 183, 000|38, 980, 000 41, 167, 000/41, 611, 060 35, 373, 000) 22 298, 000 
] 
1 The figures for 1899 and 1909 are from the Bureau of the Census, U.S. Department of Commerce; those 
for all other years are from the Bureau of Agricultural Economics, U.S. Department of Agriculture. The 
latter figures are more comprehensive in that they include reports from the small sirup makers. 
2 Figures not available. 
Experience has shown that when production in any section in-. 
creases so rapidly that the supply materially exceeds the demand, 
the results of this overproduction are clearly reflected in the statistics 
for this particular section for the following year. The decrease in 
production for 1923 and 1924 is doubtless attributable largely to the 
unfavorable growing seasons and ravages of the mosaic disease. 
For Louisiana, however, although this State hkewise suffered a 
severe reduction in cane production, sirup production held up, for 
the reason that with relatively high prices prevailing for sirup many 
manufacturers found it more profitable to make sirup than sugar. 
Progress in the sirup industry has been greatly retarded, because 
new markets have not been established to make possible the profitable 
disposal of surplus sirup. Lack of uniformity in quality has been 
largely responsible for this condition. Except through the agency 
of the largest packers and distributors, who could handle compara- 
tively little of the sirup as a rule, the industry has been unable to 
assemble enough sirup of uniform quality for carload shipments. 
Large-scale shipments of “‘farm-made sirup in buckets” have occa- 
sionally been made, it is true; but the sirup thus handled has repre- 
sented a miscellaneous collection from small-scale producers and has 
varied greatly in quality. Dealers to whom such shipments have 
been made have frequently been so greatly disappointed in the sirup 
that they have been unwilling to receive another shipment. Until 
a product of uniform and acceptable quality can be obtained, the pro- 
duction is likely to remain fairly close to the established level, increas- 
ing a slowly and depending primarily on the growth of the local 
market. 
Table 2 shows the magnitude of the cane-sirup industry as com- 
pared with the volume of business in other sirups (including certain 
grades of cane molasses) in the United States. 
The total production of corn sirup is greatly in excess of that given 
in the table; the estimate includes only that which is used for table 
sirup. Estimates are not available for the quantity of refiners’ sirup 
consumed as such or in mixture as table sirup, nor for the quantity of 
food molasses imported from the West Indies. The total annual 
consumption of sirups and edible molasses, however, is estimated to be 
well over 1 gallon per capita. 
