The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1883-12-12
Some Facts About Peanuts.

Africa certainly conferred q blessing
in the universally popular peanut which
grows 80 we'll throughout the Southern
regions that we will soon be able to cut
off their now large importation alto
gether. In Virginia they are called
'%'peanuts;" in North Carolina, "ground
peas" in South Carolina, Georgia and
Mississippi, ''pinders;" in Alabama,
''ground- nuts" and in Tennessee, "goo-
bers."
The preparation of peanuts for the
market is m interesting operation. They
are first put in an immense cylinder, from
which they enter the brushes, where each
nut receives fifteen or twenty feet OF
brushing before it becomes free. After
this cleaning process the nuts drop on
m endless belt, which rcvolves very slow.
ly. On each side of the belt is a row OF
g%irls-black, white, t~an-colored and
crushed strawberry, some of them
whose duty it is to separate the poor nuts
from the good ones.
Those of the nuts that "pass' go on to
the next room, where more girls await
their arrival and put them in bags which,
when filled, are scwcd up and branded as
''cocks,r with the figure of Il rooster
prominent on each sack. These arc the
''No. t. peanuts. The poorer nuts,
which were separated by the girls at the
endless belt, are all picked over again;
the best arc singled out and branded,
after being put in the sack, as ''ships.'
The ''ships" are not so large nor so fine
in appearance as the ''cocks," but are
just as good for eating.
The third grade of nuts is know as
''eagles," and the cuttings that are left
from the ''caglcs" arc baggcd and sent
to a building where the little meat that
is in them is extracted by il patent shell
Ter. This 'meat"-for by this name it
is known to the dealers-is put up, clean
and nice, in 2OO-pound bags and shipped
for the use of confectioners and manufac-
turcrs of peanut candy.
There is also an oil made from some OF
the nuts, and in this speciality, am told,
a large trade is done by wholesale drug
gists. Of the peanuts there is nothing
wasted, for even the shells are made use
full, being put in immense sacks and sold
to livery men for horse bedding, and a
very comfortable, beautiful bed they
make.
I sec by one of the Atlanta papers that
a mill is to be built for the manufacture
of peanut flour, which, it is said, makes
most excellent biscuit. In parts of
Georgia 1 have eaten pastry made from
peanut -four, and it was excellent, re-
sembling cocoanut in taste somewhat,
although much more oily and sweet:
The kernels Of the peanuts are ground
between ordinary millstones, and the
hour,is "bolted" or siftcd through wire
sleeves in order that all the coarse, sharp
pieces and the leather-like skins may be
removed. The rcfuse-if it may be so
called-makes excellent food for pigs.
The cultivation of the peanut will. be-
fore long, be one of the industries OF the
South, and bids fair, in time, to rival
cotton growing as IN occupation, the
profits to each acre of land being about
the same, and peanuts are much easier to
grow than cotton, requiring less care and
attention.
There is one objection, however, to
peanut flour as a steady diet. 1t is said
to be very injurious to the teeth, causing
them first to turn yellow and then decay.
Correspondence Philadelphia Press.