The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1890-10-05

with unbroken skins. are planted in rows O
nils, two or three nIts to the hill, twenty
inches between the hills, ana three feet be-
tween rows. When the little vines are a
few inches long, the field is hoed, and all
but their tip ends are covered loosely with
earth. The vines blossom profusely with
small yellow flowers, aud as these fade, a
little stem shoots out from the base Of each
one, turns downward, and buries its point
in the ground. At the end Of these points
the nuts form; so that thev are really
grOundnuts, or "grOund pease.'
In October. when the nuts are ripe, one
gang Of field hands lOOscns the earth with
hoes, and another gathers up the vines,
with the nuts clinging TO them. In some
cases the nuts are pulled from the vines as
they lie, and carried TO drying floors. The
more common plan is 90 let the vines dry in
the sun for "A day in the field, then 10 collect
and stack them about stakes four or five
feet high. Here they remain for several
weeks, when the nuts are pulled from them
and shipped 10 the factories.
These factories are not for roasting the
nuts, but are for cleaning and sorting them,
and the principal ones are located at smith
Vile, Norfolk, and Petersburg. Va, in st.
Louis, and in Cincinnati. In them the nuts
are first secured in huge, rapid-reyOlyinS
iron cylinders. where all the earth and
stems are removed. Then they pass through
blast fans, in which powerful currents Of
air separate the sound, fully-deyeloped nuts
from those pods which are imperfectlY
filled, and from empty shells. After being
thus famed, the sound nuts are spread on
long picking tables, surrounded by young
girls who sort them. These girls sort out
all the nuts having clean, bright-colorcd
shells. and toss them into sacks. each OF
which will hold hundred pounds. The
impcrfectly filled nuts are shelicd, and sold
to The manufacturers of peanut candy.
The varieties OF peanuts most commonly
raised in this country, are the white, the
red, and the Spanish. OF these three the
white il the most important, and j. raised
in the greatest quantities. Each OF the
white nuts con aims two kernels having
pink SKINS. It's vine runs along the ground:
while that of the red variety grows more
upright, and looks more like clover than
either Of the others. The pod of the red nut
often contains three, aud sometimes
four kernels. having deep red skins. The
Spanish is the smallest nut of all, and has
the lightest skin. The entire crop Of these
is shelled, and used in making the candy so
dear to all school girls, and known as
nougat. Until 1871, when the first Spanish
seed was planted TN Virginia, all peanuts OF
this variety were imported, and nougat was
one of the most expensive of connections.
When il was found that this nut would
grow Just as well here rs in spain, ana that
the native crop could be sold for several
cents per pound less than the imported, it
was not long before all importatlons
ceased, and nOugat became comparatively
cheap.
Did you ever taste raw peanuts: If You
have, YOU know that they are very different
in that state from what they are when
The roasting is generally done,
as YOU all know, by the small retailers or
vendors, who keep peanut stands at the
street corners; and no peanut ever tastes
so GOOD as when taken hot from the rOastrr.
Not nearly all of the peanuts raised in this
country are roasted, eaten, or made into
candy, great as the demand Is for them Tor
these purposes. Quantities of them are
ground up tor the sake of the valuable OIL
they contain. 1t is clear, nearly cOlOrless,
and closely resembles olive oil, for Which Il
is frequently substituted. 1t is also largely
used In the manufacture Of fine grades OF
soap. What is left after the oil Is extracted
is known as peanut flour, and is USED 10
make a very pleasant kind OF biscuit, which
is highly appreciated in Virginia and North
Carolina. In these states. too, burned pea
nuts are in demand among the farmers as
substitute for coffee. I'm parts Of Africa
form almost the only food supply Of
the natives, who thrive and grow fat on this
diet.
The roots Of the peanut vine are some
times used in place Of licorice, which they
strongly resemble IN taste. The vines them
selves make fodder for cattle, Of which
they are very fond, and which is equal TO
clover in its milk and meat-producing quail
tiles.
Although the cultivation of peanuts is
steadily increasing in this country, and the
area of land devoted to it is enlarged by
Of acres every year, the average
price of five cents per pound IS readily
and the annual crop has never
yet been sufficiently large TO supply the de
mand. SO, you see, the raising OIL
this humble nut is very lmpor-
tant industry, and one from which
a great deal of money can be and is made.
Nor is all the money made by the growers
and Wholesale dealers. read not long ago
in one of the daily papers Of an Italian who
came to this country a few years since,
with barely enough money to purchase a
and sack OF nuts. The
other day he died, leaving to his heirs the
snug little sum of $4,000, all of which had
been made by selling peanuts in small
New England city.-A Cooler Grower III
Ilarpers Young People.