ALCOHOLIC AND MALT LIQUORS. The production of liquors in the United States is about equal to the home consumption. Little (chiefly wine) is imported. In 1900 the value of malt liquors was reported at $237,269,713, distilled liquors at $96,798.443, and vinous liquors at $6.547,310. The first and last estimates included the revenue tax, but only a part of this was included in the esti mate for distilled liquors. Malt liquors are of the greater importance by far, the product having in creased steadily in amount from 2,006,625 barrels in 1863 to 39,330,849 barrels in 1900. The manu facture of distilled spirits fluctuates enormously from year to year, with only a slight tendency to increase, there being a marked contrast with malt liquors in respect to both steadiness and increase. In 1900 the output amounted to 109,245,187 gal lons, which was the largest for any year since 1893. Corn is the principal material used in the production of both, but barley is also ex tensively used in the manufacture of malt liq uors. particularly at. Milwaukee, and rye in the
manufacture of distilled liquors. The manu facture of both is well distributed over the coun try. New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Ohio lead in the value of malt products, while Kentucky and Indiana are well in the lead in the production of distilled liquors. The man ufacture of commercial wine did not begin un til near 1860, and the principal development has been made since 1890. The product is still very small compared with that of many other coun tries. It was 39,600,000 gallons in 1901. The industry is localized in the grape-growing re gions, California being far in the lead, with Ohio and New York next in importance. The capi tal invested in the manufacture of alcoholic and malt liquors ($457.674,087 in 1900) is much greater than the combined capital of the flour and grist milling and slaughtering and meat packing industries. The total number of estab lishments in 1900 was 2835, and the number of wage-earners employed 44,417.