South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1881-06-10

IL would surprise many people no,
engaged IN trade 10 know whsi a ssriety
Of commodities that appear vslceles.
are important articles OF commerce. To
the average boy aud girl there B. scarce
ly anything Of 80 little worth-exceps
10 afford days :un-as nuts, and We,
hundreds Of thousands OF dollars are
Annually invested in shem.
During tho recent years tho trade IN
foreign and domestic nuts has Developed
wonderfully. New York city ha. become
the most important center Of the trade.
the extent Of which indicates that pco.
pie have either secured paten, stomachs.
or that indigestion has Loot Its terrors.
Wholesale dealers Ia nuts can nov n
certainly count on . profitable trade In
the winter season. rs can the candy.
makers at Christmas times-and oil tho
boys aud girls know how certain tina. Is.
Africa used 10 supply US with pea
nuts. sending them by SHIP loads, but
our Southern States have SO successfully
cultivated this popula, nut that we are
now independent. The States that fur.
nish the bulk OF the supply are Virginia.
North Carolina and Tennessee. During
tue present season the crop OF Virginia
was eleven hundred thousand bushels !;
of Tennessee. five hundred and fifty
thousand bushels T; and of North Caro-.
lima one hundred and twenty thousand
bushels.
The nut probably most popular after
the peanut is the pecan. The Texas
pecan 10 especially in demand While
lew years ago several barrels of pecans
supplied the demand abundantly, car
loads and invoices Of one or two hun.
| dred barrels are not uncommon at this
time.
OF the other nuts, the hickory Is a.
mong the most popular. While in ma
ny localities, especially in the Eastern
States. they arc becoming scarce, they
are sufficiently plentiful in the Western
States TO ship To New York half dozen
Car loads week when demanded.
That delicious nut, the chestnut, is
becoming less plentiful every year. and
there is much difficulty in obtaining
them sound in large quantities. Their
great popularity will probably prcven,
their total disapp earance, for they are
already being successfully cultivated,
and it is expected that 10 few years the
cultivated nut will equal in quality the
| high-priccd Italian chcstnuts.
Black walnuts and butternuts are re-
garded as too rich and oily for table
use, but the former is largely used by
confectioners. The American hazel nuts
are not an important article Of com.
MERGE, the flbert largely taking their
place. Ouly few English hazel nuts
find their way to the American market.
II is stated that growers in California
contemplate introducing a lumber Of
varieties OF nuts native to Spain & Italy.
The trade in foreign nuts is enormous.
The demand is said to have tripled dur.
ing the past five years. AS everybody
knows, the almond is the "old reliable :,
always has been in demand, and proba-
bly, always will be. The English wal
nuts, formerly called Madeira walnuts,
mainly como from Franco and Spain,
the English crop being consumed at
home. They have been successfully
raised in the States on the Pacific coast.
The Brazil nats are kind Of "linked
grease. long drawn ouy'-a few of them
go long way. For cocoanuss the de-
mand is steady, and so immense that
dealers feel safe in buying them by the
hundred thousand. The process OF des.
sicating them has widened their family
use, and they are now favorite ingre-
dent of pies, cakes and candies.
1t is probable that with the extension
OF railroads the trade in nuts will in
crease, and it is not unlikely that In
remote regions people now unemployed
will 90 into the business OF raising nuts
for market.