The value of sugar imported into the United States, is greater than
that of any other single article of commerce. In the year 1880 it
appears that over one thousand eight hundred and twenty-nine million
pounds of sugar were brought here from other countries, at a cost of
nearly one hundred and twenty million dollars, including customs duty.
Moreover, the consumption of sugar, _per capita_, in this country is
rapidly increasing. It was, during the ten years next preceding 1870,
only 28 pounds on the average per annum, but, in the ten years next
following, an average of 38 pounds per annum were consumed for each
person of the population of this country. This appears to be an
increase of 35 per centum in ten years.
The subject of domestic cultivation of sugar bearing plants is,
therefore, one of great importance to this nation, and it has
accordingly engaged the attention of the U.S. Commissioner of
Agriculture, and many experiments have been made in different parts of
the country in the propagation of the various canes, roots, etc., from
which sugar can be made. Among sugar-bearing plants, beside the
regular sugar cane, are, sorghum, sugar beet, maple, watermelon, sweet
and white potato, and corn stalk.
Statistics show that of the 12,000,000,000 pounds of sugar produced in
the world, about three-fourths comes from the sugar cane, and the
other fourth comes mainly from the sugar beet. Of the total quantity,
only about one seventieth is produced in the United States, and that
is mainly cane sugar from Louisiana. The beet sugar has formerly been
mainly produced in Europe. First France, second Germany, third Russia,
then Belgium, Austria, Holland, Sweden, and Italy.
The consumption of sugar in Great Britain is much greater _per capita_
than in the United States, about 65 pounds, or nearly double; while in
Germany 19 pounds per annum are used on an average by each person, and
in Russia the consumption is much less.
The importance of this subject to the United States, where the
consumption of sugar is increasing out of ratio to the production of
sugar-bearing plants, and where agricultural independence should be
realized, as we have already attained and maintained political
independence, and almost independence in manufacturing industries, has
called out Mr. Lewis S. Ware, a member of the American Chemical
Society, etc., in a pamphlet of over 60 pages, entitled a "_Study of
the Various Sources of Sugar_."
From this publication it appears that the main source of sugar supply
must still be _sucrose_, cane sugar, even in spite of the best efforts
of the general government and of the State agricultural organizations
to introduce sugar-bearing plants that will thrive in the temperate
and colder latitudes of this country. With the single exception of the
sugar beet, he seems to disparage all attempts to produce practical
sugar from hardy plants, or those that will mature in the region of
frosts in winter. Even sorghum, that has for twenty years held a place
in the hopes of the northern farmer, has declined so that the alleged
production of half a million pounds in 1866 had became barely a
twelfth of a million pounds in 1877.
In his remarks on the synopsis of one hundred and eleven experiments,
made at Washington, he says: "As may be noticed, thirty-five of them
(111) would yield zero. If we take the average of the hundred and
eleven experiments, we find as a yield 4.5 per cent., which result
cannot possibly be practically accepted. In other words, our
government, notwithstanding the favorable conditions under which they
were made, prove that the sorghum utilization is fallacy in every
sense of the word." ... "If sorghum is to be grown for its sirup, or
for fodder, it will evidently render excellent service." It seems that
less than four per cent. of crystallizable sugar in the sorghum juice
will not pay the cost of making sugar from it, as it will not
crystallize in a reasonable time, on account of the glucose in the
juice, which, with the other impurities, will prevent the ready
crystallization of four or five times their own weight of sucrose.
From the early history of sorghum, it appears that it was known as
_sorgo_ in the sixteenth century, while twenty or thirty varieties
were known under different names in Egypt, Arabia, and Africa. Some of
the names are, Chinese sugar cane, (sorgo), India cane, emphee or
Coffers' bread, paindes anges, etc.
The later history of it shows that in 1850, Count Montigny sent the
first samples from China to Europe. It had been used in the former
country for thousands of years for the manufacture of red dye. The
seeds were afterward sold in France for a _franc_ each.
A variety came later to this country from Africa, through the agency
of an Englishman named Wray, to whom is charged the effects of the
delusive experiments of trying to make crystallized sugar from its
juice, which have been going on in this country for twenty years. But
two varieties of sorghum now remain, known as the Chinese and African
types. Of all the other sugar plants, none except the maple tree
(besides the sugar cane and the beet) seem to have yielded sugar to
pay the cost of manufacture. The maple tree has yielded a total of
41,000,000 pounds in 1877. But as an industry by itself, it appears to
be unprofitable, and maple sugar must be, and generally is, sold at a
higher price per pound than cane sugar; moreover, it has not the
qualities that are required in a general sweetner for culinary
purposes.
The variety of sugar plant called amber cane is not very clearly
defined, but it may be taken, from the description of the juice as to
crystallizing qualities, as no better sugar producer than sorghum. It,
with sorghum, is classed as a sub-variety of sugar cane, which will
yield sirup and fodder, but will not crystallize under several months'
time, and even then in but small percentage.
On the whole it appears, as before stated, that the sugar beet is the
only practicable source of sugar for the Northern States, which, as
experimentally shown, can be raised at a profit of forty six dollars
per acre, against twenty dollars per acre, the profit of sugar making
from cane in Louisiana. Upon this showing several beet sugar factories
have been started in the United States and in Canada, and their
products are said to be satisfactory, and have been sold at a profit
in competition with imported beet sugar.
Mr. Ware recommends the establishment of beet sugar factories on a
larger scale, to be managed by men who have had experience in this
particular kind of sugar making, which seems to be a practical means
of supplying ourselves with home-made sugar. It must be remembered,
however, that the successful cultivation of an ample supply of beets
to keep them at work is an essential prerequisite.
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