The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1890-01-02
ALL ABOUT PEANUTS.
How TAsy Arr Raised and Prepared Foo
20 the Market. rl sig

How Thsy Arr Raised and Prepared Foo
80 the Market. r.t sS
Most Of the Virginia and North Caro-
lima peanut crop. which il about two
thirds Of the whole crop Of the coun-
try, is marketed in Norfolk and Peters
burg. Va; the rest. with the whole
crop Of Tennessee. 10 carried 10 St
Louis Or Cincinnati. In each Of these
cities are factories where the nuts as
they are delivered BY the farmers are
bought The nuts a. they appear at
this stage. with earth and their stems
still clinging TO them. are hardly to be
recognized as the bright nuts We after
ward see on the corner stand.
To polish them, and TO remove the
earth and stems. the nuts are secured
In large iron cylinders, from which
they pass through blast fans, IN which
q strong current Of air separates the
fully developed nuts having sound
kernels from those imperiectly filed.
and empty pods.7 The sound 1uts fan
through the fan upon picking tables.
where those which are discolored are
taken out and the bright ones are
passed into sacks which will each hold
about 100 pounds 81 nuts. Each sack
Il marked With the brand. which lndi.
Gates the grade Of It's conteAta
The dark and the partially filed
nuts are shelled. and the kernels are
used by confectioners in making pea
nut candy. Tho work Of picking over
and separating the nuts Is performed
BY little girls. about 20 Of whom are
employed at every table.
Three varieties Of peanuts are grown
10 this country. the white, the red and
the Spanish. The white, which 10 the
most important variety, has . nut with
two kernels. with pink skins; Its vine
spreads along the ground, in this 70
spect unlike that Of the red variety,
which grows more upright and In Q
bunch. -. -! nos, ',.a'.-. e.
The pod Of the red nut holds three.
and sometimes four kernels, and has q
deep red skin.
The Spanish 10 0 much smaller nut,
with lighter skin and milder flavor
than either Of the others possesA The
entire crop is shelled. and used espec-
tally in that rich CONNECTION known
a. nougat. '
In 1880 the consumption Of peanuts
In the United States was less than g.
100000 bushels, In 1887 the amount
had increased to four and third mill
Ion bushels all Of which was eaten in
the United States and Canada The
demand for peanuts has trebled in the
past few years, and the crop has never
been sufficient to supply the demand.
The peanut Is . more useful product
than people In general think It to be.
The nuts contain from a TO 80 per
cent Of nearly colorlSss, bland, fixed
oil. which resembles olive oil. and "a
used for similar purposes. This oil Is
principally employed in the manu-
iacture Of the finer grades Of soap.
In 1883 Virginia began TO manu-.
facture peanut -four, which makes q
peculiarly palatable biscuit. and North
Carolina has long made pastry oil
pounded peanuts. It 10 also eaten fol
dessert. and is roasted as q substitute
for coffee.
The peanut Il very nutritiva The
negroes use It In very many places in
making porridge, custard, and prepare
from It q beverage Tho vine forms {
fodder as good as clover hay, and
hogs fatten on what they find on the
fields after the crop has been gathered.
-Youth's Companion. ? H. ? !