The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1893-11-05
A NEW SOURCE OF PROFIT.
THE BEECHYUr HARrEsI.
Plentiful and Valuable. IL Is Easily Cath
cred When Ono Knows How 20 DO ~.

Plentiful aud Valuable, IL Is Easily Cath.
cred when Ono Knows How 10 DO II.
NoRTHwoop. N. Y. Nov. 4.-Amone the crops
which nature provides with lavish hand In
this region is the beechnut. Every ridge In
the edge OF the New York Wilderness and very
likely every one throughout the whole region.
is covered with beech and maple trees The
maple is made to yield a valuable harvest
each spring, but the harvest Of the beech tree
grows and ripens year latter year and fam
unheeded to the ground. or course. almost
every beast OF the forest fattens on the beech
nut crop. but OF the delicious little nuts save
for quart or 30 sometimes gathered by the
children. nc account is made by the people.
Tho reason for this ia obvious to any one
who has ever tried to gather the crop In the
usual way-that Is by picking them up By
hand after the frost has opened the burrs to
let them fall to the ground. There is no harder
nut to find among the fallen leaves nor one
harder TO get hold Of after 1t is found than the
beechnut. Its rich. dark. chestnut coat is only
a shade darker than the leaves above 1t. and 10
is almost as black rs the mould beneath. But
once It Is seen the little body. enclos-
ed by four trtanglos. eludes the fingers
as chipmunk might do. family
OF four who gathered milk pan full during an
afternoon recently were counted BY their
neighbors as having been remarkably clever
at the work. although the ground was thickly
strewn with the nuts.
Another reason why this nut Is neglected 10
that it's meat. when once procured. 10 very
small, while the cracking Of tho tiny shell TO
get It Is vex atious. although not really difficult.
Nevertheless. to those who know how to use
them. the beechnuts are about the best Of the
American nut crops. while those who know
how TO do It and are properly prepared can
harvest them rather more easily than any
other kind Of nut
Placed in dripping pan and roasted in the
oven. tho beechnnts pop open with . tremen-
dous racket and tho kernels are easily OK
trac ted. and are then found better eating than
roasted chestnuts.
Taken from the she'll In tho ordinary fashion
by splitting with pocketknife. the kernels
are found 10 be extremely good eating raw. or
they may be used separately or mixed with
other nuts in making nut cake. The flavor OF
the beechnut in wel-made cake will be
found delicious.
Naturally they would mako very good nut
candy. but on account OF the slow proc
oss OF taking the meats from the shells
they are not so used. 1t costs too much to ex-
tract the meats: be sides. there are very few
beechnuts on sale at Washington Market as
an inspection will show, and to procure
enough for use in candy factory would at
:, 10 ali appearances the problem Of utllln!pg
tho beechnut crop. is DIFFICULT to solve. the
about beech ridges will say that this is pity.
Eat hss
Than that Of corn bought at tho railroad Sta
asaR the 9s hat
yel3red little would IN make that operation I,n
small ana sl1siye as the 1sschnyt is; this
sr sree TT and
hogs When the ripened nuts have been
% the with
into the beech woods with team and wagon and
q garden rake and wide shovel The wagon
as Long Island truck farmers use he could do
Beneath the beech trees he stops and hitche.
his team, Then he rakes W, the debris Of
them all into the wagon. The advantage Of
then, The leaves stick together and hold the
nuts between them when they are raked IN,
from 't tss Wagon box by any Chance gust 81
wind while crossing the fields. ,.,
oncEn sd on the beech rdSes 81
rondarks-this farmer drives home and dumps
load IN s rsoss s. the
crop Then he waits for dry weather. and
when it &c he t9sses the beach leaves
Now the most interesting part Of the harvest
work Is at hand. Going to the barn, he fetches
out his old tanning mill and adjusts It for its
consists Of a number OF sleeves Of different
meshes arranged one sieve above another be-
fore rotary ian. Above tho sleeves Is hop
per through which grain Is fed to drop on the
sleeves. where all dirt ID blown away from II by
the fan as it drops from one sieve to another.
and eventually to sack at the bottom; 49,.
this mill when heec hnuts are to run through
ii. and the top sieve is very coarse one-large
enough TO let the nuts through: Into this
Inn
debris is blown away. while the nuts drop into
tho bag as corn would do.
The farmer finds double pay for his work.
The nuts gathered are worth as Iced alone
three times the value OF the labor while tho
the best OF bedding for his stock and the best
OF fertilizers for his fields
At first the pigs were led with the nuts I'M
cracked. The pigs chewed up shells and all.
and they did very well on them. but one OF the
took an old coffee mill and set the grinding
parts very wide apart; Then he ran some nuts
through that. and they came out with the
shells broken. but the kernels for the most
part whole. So tho father improved on the
idea by taking dried nuts to feed mill. which.
when properly set. turns out the kernels prac-
tically unframed while the shells are blown
away in tho tanning mill.
That family now has beechnut cake. beech
nut tufv. and beechnuts roasted and raw to
and there is lot left for chickens and pigs
and cattle This has been good year for
beschnuts. The family gathered ten bushels
N one wood lot.
And yet. curiously enough. tho other wood
OTIS and the great forest beyond. which might
have yielded scores OF bushels. were never ens
cred by beechnut harvesters.