Towanda daily review. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1879-1921, 1881-04-02
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PREPARING Peanuts for the Market.

are placed In large cyllnQer, from WnlCn
they enter the brushes, every nut receives
fifteen feet of brushing before it be-
comes free. Then they are dropped on
an endless belt, passing along at the rate
of four miles an honr. On each side OF
the belt stand girls, and as the nuts fal
on the belt the girls with quick motion
of the hand, pick out all the poor looking
nuts, allowing only the best to pass the
crucible. Those that do not pass drop
into bags and the floor below. When the
bag is filled it is sewed up and branded
''cocks," with the figure of rooster
prominent on it's sides. The peas caught
= up by the girls are thrown to one side,
again picked over, and the best singled
out and branded as ''ships."
These are as fine nut as the first for
eating, but in shape and color do not COM
pare with the t'cocks." The third grade
is branded as ''eagles." They are picked
out of the cuttings of the "cocks" and
"ships." The cuttings that are left from
the "eagle.'' are bagged, sent to the top
story and what little meat is in them is
shaken out by a patent shelter. The nuts
being shelled by this new process, the
meats drop in bags below, free from dust
or dirt of any kind, and is then shipped in
200 pound sacks to the North, where it is
bought by the confectioners for the pur-
pose of making taffy or peanut candy. 1t
may be here stated that peculiar kind of
oil is extracted from the meat of the nut,
and in this speciality large trade is done
among the wholesale druggists. There is
nothing wasted, for even the shells are
made useful. They are packed in sacks
and sold to stable keepers for horse bed
ding, and very healthy bed they make.
-e-~
The notices of the death of Lucius B.
Boomer, the great bridge builder, recalls
brother of Mr.. Boomer, which, when the
writer first heard it, possess ed peculiar
interest for him. 1t was years ago that
this Mr.. Boomer, young man fIom New
England appeared in the then and still
solitary country on the Usage river, in
Missouri. Missouri was slave country
and this was the most unprogressive part
of it, though near the capital of the State.
The young New Edglander set thousand
men at work getting out lumber in the
forests that line the stream. He conceiv-
ed the idea, too, of founding in the Mis-
souri, woods New England village, and
stores, mills and many dwellings arose
on a sloping hillside on the river and the
village was called after cliff on the OPP
posite shore, Castle Rock. The enter
prising founder built little church, with
the proviso that any denomination of
Christians might occupy it.
All went well and for time there was
no such village anywhere as Castle Rock.
Then came the war. The people of the
country were divided in sentiment.
Boomer rallied the loyalists of the neigh
borhood and joined Missouri regiment,
marched away to the southwark, rose to
lieutenant colonelcy and fell in one ol
the battles around Vicksburg. With his
death blight fell on his ambitious plans
framed as his letters published after his
death showed, not in the interest Of bus
mess alone, but for the best good of the
people among whom his lot had been cast
No friendly hand took up his work. The
sound Of the ringing axe was heard ne
more along the Usage. The great busi
ness he had built up ceased, and few
years ago the village of Castle Rock hat
almost ceased to exist, except in name
The mills were silent Dusty and for