Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1895-04-01
THE TOOTHSOME PEANUT.
Ten Million Dollars Spent Annually In
America For This Fruit

Ten Million Dollars Spent Annually In
America For This Fruit"
A man incidentally asked q street
vender if his peanuts were first class,
and the response to the inquiry was sur
prising.
'No,'' said the vender, ''you do not
get first class peanuts in this country in
this way The best peanuts are used for
other purposes. They are made into
meal and grits by scientific men, and in
! Germany they are prepared for sick
people in the hospitals. The peanuts
you get in candy are the very poorest
grade, and some of the burnt almonds
which you get are nothing more than
fourth rate peanuts. "
''Where did the peanut come from?'
''From Central and South America
They grow there in long pods, and the
pods contain from four to five kernels
They were carried to the old world in
the early days, and in the seventeenth
century they constituted the chief staple
Of Africa. You Will find if you look it
up that tho slave dealers of Africa in
those days used to load their ships with
peanuts to be used as food for their hui
man cargoes. The negroes who were
imported from Africa to this country
brought over the peanut, and they were
scattered and first grew in Virginia.
And now this country is raising the
crop, and, owing to American sbrewd
ness, the nut is ground and used for
various purposes and shipped all over
the world.
81 reckon you know" the vender
continued, "that peanuts in certain
condition are more nutritious than beef
When specially prepared, they rank
with beans and peas. The peanut is said
to contain 80 per cent of protein and 40
per cent Of fat What is known as pea
nut meal contains 90 per cent of protein
and s per cent of fat. It is the cheapest
of all food materials. -
In 1861 and 1865 peanut oil was
manufactured largely in four southern
states and was employed as a substitute
for olive oil. In fact, one druggist adj
mitted, some of the ''olive oil'' sold now
in this country is nothing more than
peanut oil. Nearly all Of the olive oil
sold in the United States is mixed with
part of the peanut. Peanuts furnish
their kernels in oil. Sometimes peanut
oil is used for lighting, and, again, it
is utilized to advantage in the making
Of soap and as lubricant in machine
shops.
The American peanut is larger and
better favored than any other, but it
does not contain so much oil as the
African nut. The 'cake'' which is left
after extracting the oil makes excellent
feed for cattle and is used very largely
for that purpose in Germany, where it
sells from $50 to $33 ton. This coun-
try owes to Germany the suggestion it
has received in relation to the edible
qualities of peanuts, and the depart
ment of agriculture is now Investigate |
ing the method of Germany in the way
IN which that country has handled the |
nut, and tho result is to be published |
by the department for the benefit of the |
farmers.
The United States now produces
4, 900, 900 bushels of peanuts annually, |
Or SO, 600, 600 pounds. The total worlds
supply amounts to about 600, 900, 900 |
pounds. The expectation from Africa
and India to Europe during the last
year amounted to nearly 400, 600, 900
pounds Of this quantity 222, 900, 900
pounds were delivered at tho port of
MarseilIes. the bulk of it being pressed
or oil.
1t is estimated that so, 900, 900 worth
If peanuts are eaten every year in the
United States, and most of the guam
5ity, it is said, is consumed between
meals and at odd times. Chicago Post.