DISTIUCT 1914-15 1915-16 1916-17 Macoris 75,970 91,738 112,273 Santo Domingo 20,205 21,925 33,906 Asua 3,472 5,071 5,812 Total 99,647 118,734 151.991 The imports of raw sugar into the United States from the Dominican Republic were 1,927 tons in 1914, 34,012 tons in 1915 and 47,992 tons in 1916.
Peru.- The area suitable for growing sugar i cane on the west coast of Peru is limited only by the available supply of water for irrigation. There is also a small area east of the Andes planted in cane, but at least per cent of the crop is grown in the rich valleys along the coast. The crop is planted and harvested throughout the year, but the principal harvest season is from October to February. The cane in the coast region requires 18 to 20 months to mature and from 8 to 12 crops may be harvested from one planting. The area of cane under cultivation is about 101,000 acres. The number of laborers employed in the industry is estimated at 21,881. The average produc tion per hectare of 2.471 acres is a little over 10 metric tons (equal to about 4% short tons per acre). In the Chicama Valley where there are a number of fine modern mills the produc tion runs as high as 13% metric tons per hectare (equal to a little more than six short tons per acre).
The growth of the sugar industry of Peru may be seen from the following, showing the yield in metric tons for the years specified of white and granulated, muscovado'and Chancaca sugar. The exports for the same years are given as an indication of the growth of this branch of the industry: Production. Exports, YEAR tons tons 1912 192,754 147,410 1913 183,954 142,901 1914 228,054 176,670 1913 262,840 220,257 The disposition of the crop of 1915 to the various countries was in the following propor tions: Chile, 39.93 per cent; United States, 21.69 per cent; Great Britain, 17.80 per cent; Spain, 4.17 per cent; Bolivia, 1.68 per cent; consumed locally or stored, 18,73 per cent.
From 1911-16 the United States imported the following amounts of raw sugar from Peru, the imports in the last two years being remarkable as compared with former years: 1911-12, 5,917 tons; 1912-13, 6,201 tons ; 1913-14, 3,126 tons; 1914-15, 32,252 tons; 1915-16, 37,549 tons.
Mexico.-Almost the whole of the lowland region of Mexico is adapted to growth of sugar cane, and it is grown in 18 of the 28 states, but approximately one-half of the crop is pro duced in the two states - Morelos and Vera Cruz. The two other states of most import ance are Puebla and Sinaloa. In the lowlands along the coast as many as 10 crops may be harvested from one planting. In this region very little cultivation is needed, and the yield has been as high as 35 tons to the acre. Owing to the disturbed condition of the country the sugar industry has not made the progress that may be noted in other Latin-American coun tries and very little modern machinery is in use, the old open-kettle process being still mostly in use, which extracts only about 6 per cent of sugar per weight of cane.
Notwithstanding the continuous revolutions of recent years the quantity of sugar produced in Mexico increased considerably, until the past two seasons. The crop of 1903-04 decreased from 112,930 to 102,931 in 1905-06, increased to 178,134 in 1910-11, decreased to 167,258 in 1911-12, to 143,000 in 1913-14, and to 121,000 in 1914-15. But the crops of the last two seasons are estimated at only 65000 tons for 1914-15, and 50,000 tons for 1916-17. The quan tity of sugar, in tons imported into the United States from Mexico in recent years, is as fol lows: 1913-14, 922 tons; 1914-15, 34,371 tons; 1915-16, 6,636 tons.
Brazil.- The cultivation of sugar cane, one of the oldest industries of Brazil, owing to in creased demand for sugar, has again been re vived and promises to assume much greater importance. It is now grown in more than half the states, from the mouth of the Amazon down to the Laguna Mirim. The most flour ishing centres of sugar production are in the state of Rio de Janeiro, where Campos is the focus of sugar deliveries, and Pernambuco, a thousand miles farther north; 'Sao Paulo has also an increasing sugar industry as may be seen from the following list of large sugar mills in each state: Alagdas, 9; Bahia, 7; Ma ranhao, 3; Minas Geraes, 7; Parahyba, 2; Per nambuco, 46; Rio de Janeiro, 31; Santa Catha rina, 2; Sao Paulo, 20; Sergipe, 15; Piauhy, 1; Rio Grande do Norte, 3; total, 139.