Bradford opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1874-1881, 1880-02-28

[From the Philadelphia Times.
The Humble Peanut.
HOW DARKEY GIRLS, WITH EYES
AS SHARP AS THE HAWKS, DO
THE CULLING.
An interesting item recently went
the rounds of the papers giving q
statement of the enormous trade in
peanuts those cheap little things
SO toothsome to the grounding. A
great many people in 'the North
fancy that psAnuts grouCon vines,
but, like theAsrishmaWs vineyard,
the fruit is under the ground. They
are not all alike, and the nuts that
are peddled around variety shows
and third.class theatres at low
price are not the proper articles to
be ground to powder by the ivories
of the truly good. The peanut sec.
tion of Virginia, where the best and
most delicious nuts are raised, is
comprised IN the following cOun-
tries: Southampton, Surry. Prince
George, Nansemond, Sussex and
Isle of Wight, with the crop ex.
tending of late years along the his
toric peninsula. The farmers of
Princess Anne and Norfolk cOun.
ties are at present paying particu'
lar attention to that crop, while
over the border, in North Carolina,
the county of Currituck, celebrated
for it's canvas back duck, wild
geese, snipe and swans, with its
fishing, is also celebrated for it's
peanuts. But Nansemond and Isle
of Wight counties, in old Virginia,
bear off the palm for raising the
finest peanuts in the Union, their
flavor, size and quality being far
superior to all others.
The crop year begins about Oc-
tober 1, and ends in tho following
September. It is estimated by COM
petent judges that the crop of last
year reached 100000 bushels, of
| which amount Norfolk handled
100000 bushels. The prices aver
aged 81 per bushel, which makes a
big item for such an insignificant
thing "a q peanut: The State of
Virginia alone will raise over1 ,O00,-
600 bushels this year, and Ourri.
tuck, N. G., will send her usual
quota, thus filling up the store
houses and factories of this city to
their utmost capacity. 1t is stated
on good authority that one acre of
ground will yield from 60 to 400
'bushels Of peanuts, which pays the
farmer as much as, If not more than
he can raise from any other crop.
Walking around this city a few
days ago, your correspondent by
| accident entered large peanut
factory on Water street, and saw
SO many nuts in bags and out of
bags that the idea suggested itself
at once that some Connecticut
"Yank" had invented a wooden
peanut. The modus operapdi by
which the nuts are separated clean.
ed and classed, Is somewhat as
follows; The third story of tue
building contains thousands of
bushels of peas in bags and there
the continued roar of the machin.
cry is deafening. Each machine
has a duty to perform, First, there
Is a large cylinder in which all the
nuts are placed, in order that the
dust and dirt may be shaken off
them. They pass from this cylin-
der into the brushes, where
every nut receives 10 feet OF
a brushing before 1t becomes free,
Then they pass through sluice.
way to the floor below, where they
are dropped on an endless belt,
about two and half feet in width,
and passing along at the rate OF
four miles an hour. On each side
of the belt stand eight colored girls,
and as the nuts fall from the sluice
on.the belt the girls, with quick
motion of the hand, pick out all the
poor looking nuts, and by the time
the belt reaches the eud two-thirds
of the nuts are picked off, allowing
only the finest to pass the crucible
Those that do pass through another
sluice and empty into bags on the
floor below. When the bag is filled
it Is taken away by hand, sewec
up and branded as "cOcks," with {
figure of a rooster prominent on it!
sides. The peas caught up by th'
girls are thrown TO one side, placed
in bags aud carried into another
room, where they are again picked
over, the best singled out, bagget
and branded as "ships." These arr
as fine a nut as the first for eating
but in shape and color do not com
pare with the "cocks." Having
gone over them twice, we new COM
to third grade, which are callet
| and brandad as "eagles." Thes
are picked ont of the "cOcks" ant
, "ships,' but now and then you will
, find respectable looking nu
among them though the eyes o
the colored damsels are as keen a