retarded the growth of the sugar beet, and the weight will undoubtedly be below normal. But it is expected that the fairly good weather prevailing during the month of October will much improve the quality, so that it does not seem unreasonable to look for at least 6,000,000 tons of beet sugar for this year. I believe that both Mr. Licht and Mr. Gieseker will have to revise their figures considerably for France, as the estimates of 880,000 and 860,000 tons show a decrease from last year which the reports from that country do not seem to warrant. In this connection, it may not be amiss to tabulate the estimates of the sugar crop in the leading cane-producing countries, as far as they are obtainable; but these also must be considered to be approximate only, and subject to corrections and changes, until the season closes. These cover about the same period, and, as compared with previous years, are: Given these figures of the world's crop of sugar for 1902-3, this, then, would seem to be approximately the complete statistical situation, as compared with former years: The world's consumption of sugar during the past four years has been 1898-99..... 1899-1900.. 1900-1901..... 1901-2..... Tons. 7,945, 130 8, 312, 856 8,736, 725 9, 369, 685 From the above, it will be seen that even with more than an average increase of consumption, there will be above 1,000,000 tons of sugar left at the end of the season, or by August 31, 1903; which, however, will be considerably less than the present excessive supply. At any rate, there is plenty of sugar for next year. HENRY W. DIEDERICH, BREMEN, October 18, 1902 Consul. NATIONAL CONSUMPTION OF SUGAR. Figures derived from official sources show that the largest national consumption of sugar is in the United Kingdom, where it is 91.6 pounds per capita annually. The United States comes next, with a consumption of 68.4 pounds per capita; and then Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, each far exceeding the consumption of either France or Germany. The nations with the smallest per capita consumption are: Spain, 10.6 pounds; Turkey, 8 pounds; Roumania, 7.8 pounds; Greece, 7.2 pounds; and Italy, 6.1 pounds. Relatively, sugar is very cheap in the United Kingdom. The retail price here is 4 to 6 cents a pound, whereas in sugar-producing Austria, for instance, where only the local product is used, the price is 6 to 8 cents a pound, presumably on account of heavy special taxes. It is estimated that the sugar production of the world has increased eightfold in the past sixty years. In 1840, the figures were 1,150,000 tons, while now they are about 9,000,000 tons annually. The development of the beet-sugar industry accounts for much of this increase. That industry has grown from a product of 50,000 tons in 1840 to 6,000,000 tons. During the same period, the canesugar product has increased from 1,100,000 tons to 3,000,000 tons. In 1840, beets supplied 4.35 per cent of the world's total sugar product; in 1900, 67.71 per cent. NOTTINGHAM, October 16, 1902. FRANK W. MAHIN, Consul CULTIVATION OF BEET SEED FROM IMPORTED MOTHER SEED. It is impossible for men interested in the beet-sugar industry in the United States to attach too much importance to every phase of the seed question. As is well known, most of the seed is imported, mainly from Germany and France, where specialists have for generations, through scientific methods of breeding and selection, succeeded in growing seed for beets with high sugar contents. But imported beet seed is expensive, and therefore efforts are being made in diverse sugarproducing countries to grow the supplies needed at home. The success thus far has been rather indifferent, particularly in the United States, as I am informed. Even if the grower has all the scientific experience necessary and is fully equipped as to details, he still has many more difficulties (those originating from our soil and climate) to contend with than the foreign seed grower. Thus it is a wellknown fact that many kinds of high-grade seed will degenerate more rapidly in our country than elsewhere; but of late years considerable. progress has been made in this direction, and there is every reason to expect that ere long American home-grown beet seed will reach the standard that has been attained by the growers in Germany and France. I desire to call attention to a method which has been employed by Russian growers of seed during recent seasons, and has proved very successful. They import German mother seed, from which they raise, in the course of two years, a crop of first-class beet seed with all the qualities of the original. In this way, it is said, they get the very best of seed at half the cost. Some of our beet-sugar people may consider it worth while to see if good marketable beet seed can not also be grown in our own country from imported mother seed. The process used in Russia is very simple. The mother seed is sown with a machine drill in rows that are 10 to 12 inches apart, about 20 to 30 pounds to the acre. After the seed has sprouted and sprung up, the hoe must be kept busy, to prevent the weeds from growing up with the young plants. However, the plants are not thinned, as is done when crop beets are raised for sugar, but are allowed to grow until fall, just as they were sown. Before frost sets in the small beets thus grown from the mother seed are dug out, together with their tops, and those which have some defect about the roots or otherwise are picked out and thrown aside. The smooth and perfect ones are then put into pits, together with their tops, not more than three beets deep. The layers are put together with their tops outward and the roots almost touching each other, as in the accompanying illustration, and the entire. row is gradually covered with earth, beginning with a little at the start and adding thereto with increasing cold weather, until the covering becomes about a yard thick (in Russia), The soil so that they may not suffer from rain, frost, or insects. in which the mother seed is sown should not be previously fertilized with fresh stable manure or with any commercial fertilizer of a strong nitrogenous character, but only with nitrate of potash or phosphoric acid. In the following spring the small seed beets are taken out of the pits, again assorted, and planted 2 feet apart in soil which has been thoroughly fertilized with stable manure or nitrate of potash or phosphoric acid, and is in a high state of cultivation. When the seed beets are well started, they must be continually kept free from weeds. They are allowed to grow till the seed turns brown in color, when the stalks are cut and put into bundles. These remain out in the field until the stalks become dry, when they are brought to the barn and thrashed. As already stated, about 20 to 30 pounds of mother seed are sufficient for 1 acre. From this can be grown all the material needed to plant 10 acres of seed beets in the following spring. As to results, in Germany, on an average 1,700 to 1,800 pounds of beet seed are harvested from 1 acre; therefore, 10 acres will average 17,000 to 18,000 pounds. In other words, the 20 to 30 pounds of mother seed sown the first year will produce at the end of the second 17,000 to 18,000 pounds, equal to 160 sacks of beet seed, with which to raise crop beets for the sugar factory. As much depends upon the proper condition of the soil, it is well to remark once more that the ground should be in good condition, i. c., thoroughly plowed and cultivated and kept free from weeds; but it must not be at all nitrogenous for the cultivation of the mother seed during the first year. On the other hand, the soil in which the seed beets are planted in the second year should be in the very best state of fertility, from the application of stable manure and commercial fertilizers. By reducing as much as possible the nitrogenous matter in the first year, the growth of the small seed beets will be retarded, but they will attain a very high percentage of sugar; and by pushing them the second year with strenuous fertilizers, they will yield a heavy crop of fully developed seed. The best climate is that in which dry weather predominates in the fall. After the stalks have been cut, they should be protected as much as possible. from the wet, otherwise the seed lose their virtue of germinating. All seed that is well matured and has become thoroughly dry and been brought to shelter without being again exposed to damp weather will germinate quickly. Of course, there will be details in this, as in every other business, which will have to be found out by experience, but the general principles of this method of producing home-grown beet seed will be readily adapted to the variations of our climate and soil. The contracts for German mother seed sold to Russia are made on the following basis: The seed is furnished on condition that the seller will ultimately get $1.70 for every 100 pounds of beet seed. harvested. To protect himself, he at the same time demands that if the crop should be a failure, he gets $160 for each sack of 110 pounds of mother seed, of which $119 per sack must be paid in advance, upon delivery of the seed. At first, this seems to be an extravagantly high price, but when it is borne in mind that one sack of mother seed will yield ordinarily, at the end of two years, 1,600 sacks of beet seed it will be admitted that the cost is none too high, and that the experiment is worth trying. BREMEN, October 10, 1902. HENRY W. DIEDERICH, Consul. SUGAR PRODUCTION OF CUBA. Under date of October 24, 1902, Minister Squiers, of Habana, transmits the following statement, showing the quantity of sugar exported and on hand September 30, 1902, as compared with the same |