Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-03-12
counterfeit currency, but it was too late to cor
| rect the mischief
81 Ahnnt Peanuts.
EAAa EAutAA AEstHua4s
From New York Commercial Advertiser.

From New York Commercial Advertiser
There is no man in the world but knows more
on some subject than we do ourselves. There IS
no man 50 humble but he can teach the world
something. II he is a musician he can teach Us
music aud if he grinds a haud-Organ he can tell
us all about his curious instruments and the
men who grind them. Ii he drives stage he is
full Of auecdOtes-ifhe is a politician he can tell
us all about packing conventions and fixing p0-
litica ''stades," and if he is peanut seller on
the COrnGr-well, I'll drop down on one and see
what he can tell.
This was what thought, as / sat musing on
4 Fulton ferry boat yesterday and, as the boat
landed. started directly for the peanut man
aforesaid. | found him in the middle of Fulton
market, No. 3, Fulton strect-Anthony Nalch.
Anthony's little peanut stand is passed by ten
thousand people daily. Many stop TO buy
cup ofpeanuts, and some perhaps give Anthony
a passing thought but did anybody ever think
that little stand, where you see poor little boy
rolling sheet iron cylinder overa heap OF Goals,
and gruff man shiycring in the cold, is the be-
ginning and end of a man? that his whole eX-
iStence is bound up in that little stand.
I opened my interview with Anthony by hand
inc him dime, and asking for a cup OF pea
nuts.
''What kind ?" asked Anthony.
''What kind? Why man, there arnt but one
kind of peanuts, are thereP | asked.
Yes, sir, there are four kinds" said Au-
thouy, with a Hibernian accent.
"What are they, Anthony asked, wishing
TO know the genus and species Of this great arti-
Gle Of daily consumption.
''Well, sir, there is the African peanut. They
are mean little black ones, which come from the
Cape of Good Hope. My customers is fastdious
and they never use them. Then there is the
Georgia peanut, little better. Then the North
Carolina peanut, still better. Then the blg,
handsome Virginia peanut which is best of all.
Then Anthonv'S face TOOK on look Of handsome
satisfaction, just like his Virginia peanuts. "Aly
customers, continued Anthony, especially ladies
and gentlemen who is connOisseurs in peanuts,
likes those Virginia peanuts best. Then great
many peanuts come from Tennessee. They are
three meals in them, and the man as buvs them
peanuts, inspecting to find much enjoyment
in eating them, will find himself much mis-
taken"
''We, Anthony, what is the difference in the
wholesale prices Of these peanutsW
For Africans pay LOO per bushel, for Ten
nessee peanuts S1.SO, for North Carolina 50 %,
for Virginia 81 40"
GLOW many do you sell a day?"
"About three bushels. Last year / retailed
1000 bushels for the year.
Lets see, Anthony; 1899 bushels would be
$4,000 quarts, which, at twenty cents per quart,
would bring you $4,000. Now deduct the cos
price, S2400, and you have solid profit of
S2200"
Eyes, that is it on the peanuts; but sell
III.
"Now what expenses are to come out of the
S220O, Anthony" | asked.
'Well, my boy who rolls the baker $3.50 per
year, then pay my man $500 per year. then
my rent is S4OO--n all $3.50. That leaves me
$3.50. Bat then, with my other nuts and ba
nanas, | suppose | clear $1,000 every year"
Two thousand dollars is good for peanut
stand, thought.
l found Anthony so very wise on the peanut
question that | continued TO ask him questions.
In reply TO the question as to who bought
peanuts OF him the most, he said:
Mostly women and children, but many rich
gentlemen, too. Mr.. Harper buys peanuts OF
me very often. He's good Judge of peanuts
Mr. Greeley has bought peanuts Of me, but
he don't never care whether we give him Alri-
cans or Nlrginians lie scoops anythinGwe give
him into his big white coat pockets and starts
OFF. Mr.. Beecher has bought peanuts here, too,
but he S no cOnnolsseur IN peanuts either. He
always spends more time looking at the boy
rolling EN- and baking EN- than he does look
in2 at the peanuts. : SpeCt ii we should give
him them Africans he wouldn't know the
difference"
Is there any particular art in the peanut
business, Anthony"
why, yes. A good many people fail at it.
II a man didn't know just how to roast them
he would soon fail in business. Then lie must
know ghOd peanuts from poor ones. Here, sir,
do you sec that?' he exclaimed, holding up a
peanut MiltSh ioONSu HhS an tut ASst'
Yes
"We that's poor one, There is no lustre
to the shell; its lileiess and there's no meat in
it," Then he crunched it in his hand, and sure
enough, there was not.
GLOW many peanut stands are here in this
citv?" | asked
|'Wcll, | spec there is a thousand stands, but
they don't all sell as many as | do. They call
me the king peanut seller in the city" and An
thony drew himself up full length.
At the suggestion of Anthony | now rode
around to Meacham & Farnhams, wholesale
dealers in peanuts, for began to feel A deep in
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