The Democrat. (Scotland Neck, Halifax Co., N.C.) 1884-1896, 1894-03-01
REPLY TO JUDGE CLARE.
What a Peanut Farmer and Factcrv-
Stock Owner Says.

in the Richmond Dispatch, "Wednesday
2lst ult
SMrTHFIEID, Va. Feb. 18th. 1894
Hon. Walter Clark, Raleigh, y. c.
Dear Sir i ieel sure that a gentle
man occupying the honorable position
you do. would not knowingly injure 0
misrepresent any body of men, "a yot
have done the peanut-factorv men o
Virginia, if you are reported correctl,
in the Richmond Dispatch of the It'll
instant, as copied from the Raleigl
Bulletin. You are mistaken in think
| ing there is a pool or syndicate whlci
controls the sale OF peanuts. Severa
have been attempted, but all have fail
ed in their purposes. The farmers
stock" is not "decreed" by the "syndi
G. te" to be ''unsaleable."
The real tenth is that our farmers
put up their goods in such condition
that 40 dealer Will buy item unless
they haze been cleaned and graded
You are right in thinking it does not
cost a great deal to build and equip q
factory Four thousand or five thous-
and dollars will do it. But all the fac
tory men have found it an uphill busi-
ness to buy farmers goods even at the
low price of 2 to q cents, and clean
and sell them at a profit I know that
the factorv-men have made less money
in the last five years than any other
set of men in the State who have the
same amount of capital invested, and
who do the same amount of work. If
you will notice the peanut quotations
in the Dispatch for the last four or five
years you will see that cleaned goods
are quoted about l cent per pound
higher than farmers / was a director
of one Of the largest peanEt factories
in Norfolk in 1890. and we lost nearly
$4,000 Last year two large peanut
factory men failed in Petersburg, and l
don't believe any factory in Virginia
made dollar. I have large factory
at this place. 1t is closed, because
there is no money in the business.
l am not opposed to pool-in fact,
have been trying for years to form one,
for both factory-men and farmers would
be benefited, and | belong to both
classes. 1 am the person against whom
a suit was brought for infringement of
patents. / won the suit, and a pool
then existing did paw me for the use Of
my factory and services for one year,
but the arrangement fell through in
less than that time, and my last pay
ment was made by the individual
check OF each member.
The margin on nuts is very close,
and they are worked at profit of .
to 10 cents per bag of 100 pounds. l
am satisfied you will say that this is
little enough when you reflect that they
are paid for in cash, cleaned and sold
On credit, from San Francisco to Port
land The finest grade hand-picked
ire selling to-day at 3 cents (they have
been as low AS 81 this season., and sec
Dnd grade at q cents, and these prices
ire subject often to a discount Of y
per cent.
II appears rather strange that parties in
San Francisco and Boston" should Of
fer you A to Z cents per pound, when
the travelling statesmen and brokers
who sell for the factories are drumming
these towns and the whole country and
begging for orders at the prices I have
given above-3J and 21 cents. The
anut-factory-men have been unjustly |
abused They have made little or no
and yet without them the farm |
er could not sell his goods at ALL except |
n a small way. The great bulk of the |
crop could not be handled. The whole |
trouble, is over-production. l make
his assertion as a farmer of twenty-five |
,ears' experience. Twenty-Five years
,go the man who cultivated ten acres
# peanuts was thought TO have good, |
Dig crop. Now negro, with q single |
mule: VIII grow as much The plant |
ng and caltivating have been greatly |
implifed The largest factor and deal |