The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1882-03-16
NUTS TO CRACK.
RoresEn and Domestic Nuts--How and
Where They Grow.
fRn.tnr HarnlAl


is increasing. The old idea about the in
digestibility of nuts was exploded long
ago, and everybody eats them. They
gre growing moro popular every year a.
An article of table dessert. The whole
sale trade has greatly increased, in con-
sequence of this growing demand.
Where only few bags Of foreign nuta
were handled few years ago, Thousands
Of bushels now find market annually.
First in importance among strictly
foreign nuts comes the English walnuts,
which, by the way, Is not an English
nut at all. The greater portion Of the
English walnuts received here comes
from Naples and certain French ports.
The best are from Naples and Grenoble.
In quality and flavor they are about the
finest nut which comes into the market,
and in the nut producing sections of
Italy, France and Spain they are care
fully husbanded and sent to market.
Almond nuts are, as everybody knows,
the kernel or seed of the sweet almond.
Formerly they came chiefly from Bar
barry, but, of late years, they are grown
mates of Asia. Within few years this
fruit has been very successfully Guilt
waited in Southern California, and it is
expected that our full supply will soon
come from that state. The trees some
times grow to the hight of thirty feet.
The almond is though to be the most in
digestible of all nuts, but were they
never eaten at all raw, the demand
would still be great, since they are eX-
tremely used in fancy cookery and con-
fectionery.
Filberts, which are the cousins Of our
English hazelnuts, belonging to the same
family, are very extensively grown on
the Island of Sicily, and large quantities
were formerly brought from Spanish
ports. They are an available nut in
commerce and generally great fayorits
with the lovers of nuts. These nuts are
Our English hazelnuts are a crop too
| insignificant to be reckoned beside the
filbert crop, being entirely consumed at
home. But California and others of our
Southern States promise soon to become
large growers of filberts. Filberts, like
| hazelnuts, are the seed of q shrub or
bush, generally growing in clusters, from
four to ten feet high.
| The cocoanut is the fruit of the cocoa
palm tree, native of tropical climates
| only, and fourishing best near seashore.
| Our supply comes from the East and the
West Indies, and from South America.
The nut palm trees grow from sixty to
100 feet in hight and produce the nuts
| at the tops OF the trees from the axis
Of the long, fan-like branches. They
| grow in clusters of from ten to fifteen
| nuts each, which are reproduced every
five or six weeks during the rainy sea
son; hence single tree will often pro
duce from sixty to 100 nuts in year
| Coeoanuts are very important in com.
merce. There is always an active de-
mand, which has been greatly increased
| Of late years. The process of desiccating
or drying and packing them has extend
ed their uSe. Boston and New York
fruit merchants handle hundred of thou
sands every year. By the natives OF
| countries where the cocoanut is grown 8
great deal Of crude oil is made. It is
sold and shipped to this country and re-
| fined or used in the manufacture of soap.
Brazil nuts are, as the name indicates,
a native of Brazil. There is no record
of their being found in any other coun.
try, The trees are very luxuriant and
beautiful, often growing to more than
100 feet in hight. They produce a
/
inches in diameter, and sometimes con.
aiming as many a. twenty-five of the
triangular, pfisn-shaped nuts The
trees produce very abundantly,. and IL Il
said large quantities could b shipped
if desired by the trade. The nuts are
very rich and oily, and they defeat their
own market simply BY giving 20 much
| oily, rich meat for little money. They
are the most difficult of all the nut fami-
y to ship, however, on account Of tho
difficulty in getting them sufficiently
| dry. Their oily nature causes them to
heat If they are moist and piled up to-
| gether. They will sometimes heat 30
badly on the voyage As to completely
| rot out the bags in which they are pack
| cd. Even in the market here care has
to be taken to keep them exposed to the
air e. much a. possible.
First In Importance among our domes-
tic nuts Is the peanut, which is only a
| ground nut after all. Great quantities
Of peanuts are shipped every year from
| Norfolk, Va, In which section OF the
country, with the Carolinss, Georgia and
Tenneeee, they are grown almost ex-
el9sively.
Pecans are largely a product of Texas,
/ though the tree hourishes in several Of
the Southwestern States. In the Allan.
tic States the trees are sometimes grown,
but very rarely come to bearing.
Pecans belong to the family of hickory
nuts, but the shell is softer, thinner and
more even. The favor of the kernel Is
also finer, when obtained free from the
astringent taste of the inner bark Of the
shell. The trees are large and stately,
often growing sixty or eighty feet high,
and are frequently cultivated for orna-
mental shade trees. It is said that the
trees are . long time in coming to bear.
ing, often reaching the age of 80 yean
before producing many nuts, while the
fine old pecan hickories of 80 or 100
years produce abundantly.
The butteHnut and the black walnut
are generally considered too oily for the
trade, but they might be produced in
great quantities, if wanted, or rather
they are already very abundant, and,
each year, would only require gathering
and curing. Black walnuts are con-
siderably used by confectioners, how,
ever.
Hickory nuts, or shelIbarks, win
never be very popular, although their
taste is excellent, for the reason Of their
exceedingly tough shell. A person needs
the enthusiasm Of . geolog1st and the
muscles of . stonecutter to get at the
heart of them, and even then be il likely
to be rewarded by finding the meat
ground to powder with the sheu Of the
nut.