Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-02-20
TIE Humble Peanut.


AS THE HAWK :, DO THE CJLLING.
From the Philadelphia Times.l
An interesting item recently went the
rounds of the papers giving statement
of the enormous trade i'll peanuts-those
cheap little things SO toothsome to the
grounding. 4 great many people in the
North fancy that peanuts grow on vines,
but, like the Irishmans vineyard, the
fruit is under the ground. They are not
all alike, and the nuts that are peddled
around variety shows and tmrd-class
theatres at Il low price are not the proper
article to be ground to powder by the
worries Of the truly good. The peanut
section of Virginia, where the best and
most delicious nuts are raised, Is COM
priscd i'll the following counties South
ampton, Surry, Prince George, Nanse-
mond, Suisse and Isle of Wight, with the
crop cx:c...iu5 of late years along the
historic peninsula The farmers of
Princess Anne and Norfolk counties are
at present paying particular attention to
that crop, while over the border, in North
Carolina. the county Of Currituck, cele
brated for its canvas-back duck, wild
geese, snipc and swans, with its fishing,
is also celebrated for its peanuts. Bnt
Nansen,..t,,i s-f'i I-i- oi A,4tsl,t counties, in
old Virginia, bear off the palm Tor raising
the nnest peanuts IN tine Union, their
flavor, size and quality being far superior
to all others.
The crop year begins about October ],
and ends i'll the following September. 1t
Is estimated hy competent Judges that
the crop Of last year reached 10000
bushels, of which amount Norfolk
handled 60o, coo bushels. The prices
averaged 81 per bushel, which makes
big item for such an insignificant thing
as = peanut The State Of Virginia alone
will raise over 200, 900 bushels this year,
and Currituck, N G., will send her usual
quota, thus filling up the storehouses and
factories of this city to their utmost ca
pacitv. 1t is stated on good authority
that one acre of ground will yield from 60
to 100 bushels of peanuts, which pays the
farmer us much as, if not more than, he
can raise from any other crop.
Walking around this city few days
ago, your correspondent by accident en-
tered 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 ''Gank
had invented wooden peanut. The
separated, cleaned and classed, is some
what as follows: The third story OF the
building contains thousands OF bushels
of peas i'll bags and there the continual
roar of the machinery is deafcning Each
machine has duty to perform. First,
there is II large cylinder in which all the
nuts are placed, in order that the dust and
dirt may be shaken of them. They pass
from this cylinder into the brushes, where
every nut receives II feet Of II brushing
before il becomes free. Then they pnss
through sluice-way TO the floor below,
where they are dropped on M endless
belt, about two and half feet III width,
and passing along at the rate of four
miles nn hour. On each side of the belt
stand eight colored girls, and as the nuts
fall from the sluicc 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 end twO-thlrds
of the nuts are picked of, allowing only
the finest to pass the crucible. Those
that do pass drop through another sluice
and empty into bags on the floor below.
When the bag is filled it is taken away
| by hand, sewei up and brandedas cocks, -
with figure of rooster prominent on
its sides. The peas caught up by the
! girls ARE thrown to one side, placed III
| bags and carried INTO another room,
I where they are again picked over the
| best singled ont, hagSed and branded ns
! ''ships" These uic rs fine nut as the
| first for eating, but in shape and color
do not compare with the cocks. llav-
ing gone over them twice, we now come
to n third grade, which are called and
branded as eagles These are picked
| out of the cocks and ''ships, but now
and then You will find respectable
looking nut among them ; though the eyes
Of the colorcd damscls are AS keen as II
| hawk, and n bad nut is rarely allowed to
pass their hands. The culhngs that are
| left from the eagles" are bnggcd, sent
| through the elevator TO the top story, and
what little meat il III them ~ shaken out
! by patent shelter. which is not only
novel, but ns perfect piece OF machinery
~ was ever invented. The nuts being
sholl"d by tins new Progress, the meats
/ drops IN bags below. free from dust or
dirt of amy kind. and are thea shipped M
| 2oD pound sacks tu the North, where they
are honSht up 10y the confccti"n"rs l"r
| the purpose of making talty or peanut
candy II may hc here stated that II p,-
cullnr kind of oil Is extracted from Tia.
/ meat of the nut. and lii tins specially II
| large tlnd" Is done among the wholesale
| druggists. There ~ nothing wnstcd, for
/ even the shells ARE made useful. They
are packed III sncks and sold to stable
keepers for horse bedding; and II yeIy
healthy bed they make. 4 days work rs
| about 1000 bushcls, which includes the
labor Of ,lcnmmg, picking and packing
for shipment. From all tins 1t can he
readily seen why the prices of peanuts
vary 80 much, and why 1T ~ that the
huckstrr going round with his wagon
can sell cheaper than the stores for he
sells the eagles, while the shapkerpcrs
sell those of n higher Grade
| The Bishop of Ontario has issued "a letter
to the clergy of his diocese, calling upon
| them to appeal to their parishioncrs for aid
| to ireland. uthcr in making an uilcrlory
| collection or To open II subscription list
| after divine service for that purpose. II"
| hoped that the government OF Canada would
grant toward the allcviation of this distress.