The Lafayette gazette. [volume] (Lafayette, La.) 1893-1921, 1895-05-18
sEAkM AND GARDEN.
the PLEeEiAN PEANUT.

=, *
&c Plays . U..ful Part In emo Eoonony u
Man and Beast.
The plebeian peanut, which rejoices
In such other hOmely names as earth
nut, groundnut. ground pea, goober
and pindar, has assumed . new dignity.
having recently been honored a.
the subject of special report BY
one of the experiment officers of the
national department of agriculture.
The report correctS some prevalent
mistakes as to this little article of con-
sumption, gives astonishing statistics
as to it's value as a food product. and
presents many interesting facts IS to
its uses.
1t is pleasant to be informed, first Of
all. that the peanut is not q nut at all,
but a pea, and that ITS shell is not q
shell, but a pod. It is also well to know
that while cotton. Indian corn, pota-
toes and tobacco have usually been
considered the four plants of CONNER
cial Importance which America has
given to the world, the peanut must
be added, rs the weight of authority
fixes it's birthplace in Brazil. The
crop has become of primary impor-
lance since 1866, and Virginia, North
Carolina and Tennessee produce the
largest part of it. There are seven
varieties cultivated, some of them bunch
| and some running vines The yield
Of this underground pea is astonishing,
and the amount consumed Is q testi-
monial to its popularity. The yearly
PRODUCTION here is about 1000. 600
| bushels of 2e pounds. which supply the
present demand in this country. This.
however, is but a small portion of the
worlds crop. The expectation from
Africa and India to Europe In 1892
amounted to nearly 400, DOC, 900 pounds
/ The crop of the world may be safely
| estimated at GOO, OOO, 600 pounds.
| The value of the homely little ground
| pea, however, becomes especially APP
| parent when it's uses are considered.
| It is sorted in the factory into four
| grades, the first, second and third be-
| ing sold to vendors of the roasted pea
nut, either directly or through jobbing
houses. The fourth grade is sold to
confectioners, and after their naanipu-
lation reappears as peanut candy,
burnt almonds and in cheaper grades
| of chocolates. The report says in this
| connections: 1.-The extent OF the use OF
the peanut by the American people
will be more fully appreciated when 1t
| is remembered that they use 1000, 900
bushels of nuts yearly lat a cost to the
consumers of SIC, 600, oOo), which do not
| form a part of the regular articles OF
| planter uses the nut as a fattener for his
hogs and the vine as peanut hay for
his stock, and the feeding value Is In
| creased when some of the nuts are
| cured and fed with the hay. Millions
| of bushels are used in the old world
for the product4css of Oh, which is
! regarded as c1nas t1zs,live oil. IN fact,
4 great guantities axe nseG, unknown to
i the eous,,rrar. tr7sEsssi Of tho latter.
] Marseiiies gion. f1ttcing s2o. 600, ooo
pounds II year for, tie naaising of 81
, legged, ciIvo oil. India, Europe,
! incidentally. It is employed by manu-.
facturers in fulling cloth. It makes a
! good lighting fluid, and is largely
used by the manufacturers of soap
and as lubricant in machine
shops. The oil cake is used in Germany
for fattening cattle and sheep. 1t Il
| pronounced an excellent cattle food
| A grade known as peanut neal" l.
made by grinding the hulls, immature
peanuts, and those of inferior grades
and Il certain quantity of sound nuts
mixed with other ingredients. The
residue, known as peanut cake
makes good soup, griddle cakes, nuf.
fms, etc, and is one of the most nutri
tive foods for human as well as animal
consumption. The report says: CAL
though the experiment. made with pea
nut meal and biscuits as food for the
| German army was not SO successful al
| to induce the authorities to adopt it as
| part of the rations, still analysis has
shown conclusively that it is a most
nourishing food for man, and com
| pared with other vvell-known forms o.
| vegetable and animal food it has 6
high nutritive value" From all o.
| which it appears that this little nut OF
| pea, which hitherto has been looked
| down upon as the stock in trade OF thu
| street corner vender, the food of thu
| gallery god, and the luxury of the cir
Gus, has other and higher uses and
one of the important staples of com
merce and plays a dignificd and usefu
| ;r, flo 0f u6 he g
Chicago Tribune.