Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1872-02-15
FIFTH AyEErE HorEI

PEANUTS.
FIFTH AVENUE HOTEL.
There is no man in the world bat
knows more on some subject than We
DO ourselves. There is no man so hum.
bic but he can teach the great world
something. If he is musician he can
teach us music, and if he grinds hand
organ he can tell us all about his curl
Gus instruments and the men who grind
them. If he drives stage he is full of
anecdotes-if he is a politician he can
tell us about packing conventions and
/ fixing political ''slates," and if he is a
! peanut seller on the corner-well, I'll
drop down on one and see what he can
tell.
This is what | thought, as | sat mus
4 ing on Fulton Ferry boat Yesterday.
and, as the boat landed, | started direct
| ly for the peanut man aforesaid. /
/ found him in the middle Of Fulton Mar
ket, No. Fulton street - Anthony
Walsh. AnthOny's little peanut stand
is passed by ten thousand people daily.
Many stop TO buy a cup of peanuts, and
! some perhaps give Anthony a passing
thought, but did anybody ever think
that little stand, where you see a poor
little boy rolling a sheet iron Grinder
over heap of Goals, and a gruff man
shiyer.ng in the cold, Is the beginning
and end a man that his whole exist
ence is bound up in that little stand.
| opened my interview with Anthony
by handing him a dime, and asking for
a cup of peanuts.
What kind :" asked Anthony.
What kind? Why, man, there amt
but one kind of peanuts, are there ~
asked.
Yes, sur, there are four kinds, said
Anthony, with Hibernian accent.
"What are they Anthony" | asked
wishing TO know the genus and species
of this great article of daily consump-
ton.
We'll, sur, there is the African pea
nut. They are mean little black ones.
which come from the Cape of Good
Hope. My customers are fastidious and
they never use them. Then there is the
Georgia peanut, a little better. Then
the North Carolina, peanut, still better
Then the big handsome Virginia peanut,
which is best of all" Then AnthonY's
face took Oh look of handsome salts
faction, Just like his Virginia peanuts
MY Customers" continued Anthony.
ESPECIALLY ladies and gentlemen who is
cOnn0iSeurS in peanuts, likes those Viz
ginnia peanuts best. Then great many
peanuts come from Tennessee. They
are not very good, Them Tennessee
peanuts have three meats in them, and
the IMAM as buys them peanuts, 'haspect-
ing to find much enjoyment in eating
them will find himself much mistaken.
well Anthony, what is the difference
i'll the wholesale prices of these pea
nuts 2"
For Africans pay $3.50 per bushel,
for Tennessee peanuts $50, for North
Carolina -. %, for Nirginias 81. 40"
How many do you sell day ?"
About three bushels Last year !
retailed 1000 bushels for the years.
Lets see, Anthony; 1000 bushels
would be 80, 900 quarts, which, at twen-
ty cents per quart, would bring YOU 81
600 Now, deduct the cost price, So
400, and you have solid profit of
-, 200"
Eyes; that is it or the peanuts but
| sell other nuts, too. but not many, after
all
Now what expenses are to come out
Of the -, 200, Anthony | asked.
"Well, my boy who rolls the baker
gets $50 per year, then | pay my man
$500 per year, then my rent is S400-in
all $3.50 That leaves me 81, $50. But
then, with my other nuts and bananas.
| suppose l clear -. 900 every year"
Two thousand dollars is good for a
peanut stand, thought.
| found Anthony so very wise on the
peanut question that / continued 10 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. Nj. Harper
buys peanuts Of me very often. He's
a good Judge Of peanuts. Mr.. Greeley
has bought peanuts Of me, but lac don't
never care whether We give him Afri-
cans or Nirginias He scoops ANYTHING
We give him into his big white coat
pockets and starts off Mr. Beecher has
bought peanuts here, too. but he's no
connoisscur in peanuts either. He al
ways spends more time looking at the
boy rolling en- and baking en- than he
does looking at the peanuts ! spcct if
We should rive him them Africans he
wouldn't know the difference.
is there any particular art ia the
peanut business. Anthony:
"Why. yes. \ good many people fail
at it. If a man didn't know just how to
roast them he would soon fail in business. .
Then he must know good peanuts from
poor ones. Here, sir, do you see that p +
he exclaimed, holding up a peanut which .
looked like all the rest.
Yes"
We'll. that's a poor one. There is no .
lustre to the shell; it's lifeless. and .
there's no meat in it," Then he crunched .
it in his hand. and. sure enough. there
was not. 4
How many peanut stands are there
in the city," | asked.
''WelI. ! spec there is a thousand .
stands. but they don't all sell as many
do. They call me the king peanut .
seller in the city" and Anthony drew
himself up full length.
Wholesale PEANUT MN.
At the suggestion of Anthony | now
rode around to Meacham X FaTnham's.
wholesale dealers in peanuts for began
to feel deep interest, and / wanted to
know all about this brand of the trade
| asked Mr.. Meachan what was done
with the African peanuts.
MANY of them are shclled and sold at
ten cents per pound for candy. others
are ground up to make oil with. Sweet
oil, such as we use on the table, and
some are sold TO sccond-rate peanut men
in the country"
what was the amount Of last years
crop"
Virginia raised 300, 900 bushels:
North Carolina, $4,000; Georgia. 20
900; Tennessee, 100000; and 100000
came from Africa. We consumed in
this country" continued Mr. Meacham.
altogether, about 800, 900 bushels
There was biz overstock of African
peanuts during the French war, last
year. Thirty cargocs, or 100000 bush
els, were on the way from the Cape Of
Good Hope to Marseilles, France, to be
made into sweet oil. The war came on,