Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-07-20
THEPEANur CROp.
To the Editor of the Union and American:

To the Editor Of the Union and American:
BUFFALO, HUMPHREYS COUNTY,
TENN, July 8, 1872.-We see in your num-
Der of June q, an article headed the
Peanut Crop, in which some statements are
made, we think wide of the mark. You
gather from numerous inquiries made
of dealers and farmers" such information
as makes you estimate the present grow
ing crop at 100000 bushels. Now they
guessed; and if many farmers in this sec
ton were to guess they would say 100000
or 5000, 100000 or 100000 more bushels
than were made last year. In case we es-
innate the crop !, 100, 900 bushels, and we
take 40 as an average for all the counties,
we would have 27,500 acres in peanuts,
which we think is too large, there being on
ly small portion of the peanut counties in
cultivation. 1t does injury to this country
to represent it as doing such abig business
in peanuts; it not only affects
the sales of the peas now in market,
but will damage the prices OF the grow
ing crop; but we are not surprised at Perry
county farmers; they truly have peanut
mania; they should remember that 'smuch
grain makes bread cheap" we prophecy,
that much peanuts will make bread very
high up there, say So per barrel for corn
next year, and the more peanuts they rep
resent themselves as making the duller will
be the sale thereof and less the price, but
they have right to their opinion of the
probable yield and we have ours. Now
you also state, SIT is believed by the best
farmers of Perry, that forty cents per bush
ell will cover all the expense of raising"
We believe greatly in founding opinions
upon facts, so let us put this rule: A. en-
ploys B. to make peanut crop, B. can
tend acres and do the hoeing, in short
make eight acres Of pea nuts in five months,
A. pays B. SIS per month, making SIS,
boards him at So per month making $40,
feed for horse and use of tools is worth $50;
$75-40-20-135. Digging time comes on
and if A. be lucky he may get the eight
acres taken up and stacked for $50; say he
has a good yield 500 bushels at 12ac per
bushel, hands board themselves, picked off
for $500; takes seven cents per bus ell to
sack them, makes $35; hauling to the
Tennessee river SOS; rent of land
$40; ali $327.50-500 gives the cost per
bushel CSC. Aud now say he get ST, he
makes clear 34ke per bushel. This is about
correct for the best peanut lands of Buffalo
and Tennessee rivers, but will fall short
elsewhere, and largely so wherever grown
on poor lands. Peanuts pay handsomely
at $l.50 per bushel, very well at S1.25, but
when it comes to 81, and often IS cents, the
business will not pay. These are prices on
the Tennessee; to be worth S1.50 there, they
must be going at cents per pound in Gin
einnati; when SIPS on the river, cents in
the market, and in like proportion down.
wards or upwards. These are facts which
have been fully determined; and % pounds
here usually make % pounds there, just
making the number of bushels hold out.
And now if you will permit Us, we will
tell the peanut merchants of Cincinnati, or
those who sell the peoples peas, something
greatly to their interest. 1t is to give the
name and address of the purchaser when they
sell lot of peanuts for s;then we have
chance to tell whether we were honestly
dealt by or not. Never leave off what is
right, and especially, when the absence
thereof may lead to unpleasant thoughts,
and make some honest old farmer say,
swell I'll try another firm next year."
j. A. CUNNINGHAM.
P.S.-To the above 500 bushels the cost
Of seed and tax were left out, put both at
Ice and we have the true cost per bushel of
68 4-10c. Now in Hickman and Dickson
what will the cost be? when only 80 bu-
shells grow to the acre on an average. They
do rot get good price for their labor at ST
per bushel.