The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1895-12-22
POTENCY OF THE PEANUT
No One Would Think the Humble
Cooler SO Important.
A FACTOR IN TRADE AND COMMERCE
This Country Every Year The Most
Nutritious and Cheapest Food.

But little is known OF the peanut outside
OF localities IN which It Is grown, and even
| where 1t is most largely grown its possi-
biiities are for the most part not nj oil
realized, and it is not by any means made
to yield the highest results It is CAPABLE of.
| Taking into account al its sources OF
value. The peanut ought to he one of the
most profitable of the general farm crops
in the South. The following facts about 1T
are In the main condensed from a bulletin
culture, prepared by r. y. Handy of the
office of experiment stations.
The yearly production of peanuts In this
country. according to the Boston Herald
is ahou, 100000 bushels Of twenty-five
pounds. the bulk of the crop being pro-
duced in Virginia, Georgia. Tennessee and
North Carolina. These 1905, 200 bushels.
while fully supplying the present demand
of the United States, constitute but small
part of ,hc peanut crop OF the world as the
expectation from Africa and India IN 1892
amounted TO nearly 400 000, 600 pounds of
which 90, 0Ooo 900 pounds went 10 Marselles
for conversion into oil.
The largest part OF the American crop
Is sold by street vendors but small amounts
are used by confectloners chocolute manu-
iacturers and for the manufacture of oil
Peanut oil IS used for lubrlcating and soap
Im'kIhs, ana - "a good substitute for olive
OIL for salads and other culinary purposes
ana as substitute FOR lard and cottocne
ana butter In cooking. Tho residue from
on n,aklnS, known as peanut cake, is II
hlghly valued cattle food in the countries
OF Europe, and IL also ground into fine
Hour ana used as human food. II makes
bVou SOUP sridJic cakes, mullins etc, and
Is one OF inc most nutrltiVc OF foods The
vines. when dried. become n very nutr1tiVe
hay readily eaten by stock. though requir-
ing care In the feeding, lest II produce
The present uses of the peanut and its
products are likely to be greatly extended
as has been the case with cotton seed.
With better methods OF tillage and a .arger
yieli per acre, the cost of production could
enul census The average yield Of peanuts
in the United States in 1853 was l1G bushels
per acre, the average in Virginia being
about ", ana In Tennessee % bushels per
acre. This appears 10 be a very low aYer-
age, especially AZ official and semi-oftcia
figures give 80 or % bushels as an average
s sIeRi and 100 bushels !" not a" uncommon
While the peanut has been cultivated
In the United States to a limited extent
for a number of years, IT IL only since
1856 that the crop has become OF primary
Importance in the eastern section Of
this country, which seems REGULARLY
and 1870 the rapid spread Of the culture
OF peanuts was phenomenal. Each year
doubled ana at times increased three
fold its crop over that of the preceding
year so that this country from being n
large importer OF West African nuts was
soon able 10 supply the domestic demand
with the home-raised article.
Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee
produce a large part OF the peanut crop
OF tho United States Within the last
few years this crop has ceased 70 be as
profitable as heretofore. The method of
cnlture.-;he annual planting OF nuts on
the same lann. the lack of proper rota-
ton Of crops, the compiets removal OF all