The weekly herald. [volume] (Cleveland, Tenn.) 1876-1888, 1881-04-15
small Fruits and NUS.

The numerous minor productions of
the earth which are now being availed
of to give employment to our people,
and which will compensate eventually
i'll IL inability, in the old Middle OF
Southern states, to compete with the
great West in the raising of wheat and
corn, cattle and hogs. Among the other
objects to which attention has of late
been turned is the peanut, Formerly
the importation of this popular nut was
by cargo loads from Africa, but now this
whole business is e~ngrossed by their cul-
t~iyation in Virginia, North Carolina and
Tennessee. The produce of the latter
state was the past year 500, 900 bushels,
that of North Carolina 120, 1000, and
1,14O.OO0 bushels for Virginia. The
peanut is well known to be of a mild ma
ture, which permits its sale the year
round. 1t is estimated that New York
city handles nearly one half of the Vir-
ginia crop.
The pecan of Texas is increasing in
favor at the North, and especially in the
Eastern states. A few barrels or boxes
made up the consignments a few years
ago; now carloads and invoices of one to
two hundred barrels are not uncommon.
This nut is of the family of hickory nuts,
but has a much softer shell and richer
flavor. The local crop of hickory nuts
OF shell barks is scanty this year. The
West, however, meets the deficiency
with half q dozen carloads q week if
they are needed. Wild chestnuts are
getting scarcer at the North, and there
is a difficulty in obtaining sound lots.
They will not disappear, though, for they
can be successfully cultivated, and in a
few years more there will be a full sup
ply of larger and better quality, that
will compete with the expensive Italian
chestnuts. Black walnuts are mainly
used by the confectioner; they and but
ternuts are apt to be found too rich and
oily for table use. West Virginia and
Pennsylvania furnish the chief supply.
The hazel nuts of this country are too
insignificant for commerce, especially as
their noble cousin, ilbert, is always to
be had in plenty. A few samples of
English hazel nuts in their outside
"shuck" occasionally arrive here for
show. California growers promise in a
few years to make additions to the list
of domestic nuts of sorts that now come
from Italy or Spain and of what is known
as Mediterranean stock. An immense
trade is doing in foreign nuts, A trust
worthy dealer assured the W0rIN report
er that the demand is fully three times
rs great as it was five years ago, AL
monds have always q steady sale, since
quantities are used in fine baking.
What are called English walnuts come
from France and Spain and were
formerly called Madeira nuts. The
English crop is used at home. The
best received here are the Grenoble and
Marbean. English Walnuts are success
fully raised in the Pacific coast states.
Brazil nuts never sell largely. They are
peculiarly fat, and II few go n long way,
For cocoanuts there is q steady and
demand. The process of dessicat-
ing them has widened their family use.
One purveyor in New York buys by the
hundred thousand. The season for the
delivery of foreign nuts begins about the
lst of November and ends early in the
They are largely transhipped
English ports.
The cur1ant among the small fruits;
be more generally cultivated.
No other condimont for the table is
more highly priced than the Jelly from
these. They can be easily cultivated,
md rs n business they could be made
profitable. A lady acquaintance of ours
n addition to numerous bushels in the
n the garden, has within the past year
lad 800 more SGT ont, intending in due
inc to put up the fruits in pots Ms
ely