Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1896-01-28

ONE WOULD HARDLY THINK THE
HuMsLE coosEa 50 IMPORTANT.

tritou, ana ~ rar ere Chssps., o.
Rosas-sabstiiuts Tor Olive Oh.
But little IS known Of the peanut ont
side Of localities IN which Il "a grown
and even where IL is most largely grown
ita possibilities are for the mort part not
At all realized, and Il is not BY any
means made 70 yield the highest results
Il 10 capable Of Taking into aooount all
its soyhoes Of value. the peanut ought 10
be one Of the most profitable Of tho gem
ernl farm crops IN che south. Tho fol-
lowing facts about Il are In the main
condemned from q bulletin Of the United
States department Of agriculture pre-
pared BY r. 3. Handy Of che onlco Of
experiment stations.
The yearly production Of peanuts in
this country Is about 1900. 900 boahsls
Of ~ pounds, the bulk Of the crop being
produced IN Virginia. Georgia, Tennes-
see and North Carolina. These 4,000.-
600 bushels, while fully supplying the
present demand Of the United States.
constitute but q small part Of tho pea
nut crop Of the world, as tho oxporta-
ton from Africa and India ia 1929
amounted to nearly 400, 600, 600 pounds,
Of which 292, 900, 900 pounds went TO
Marseilles Tor conversion into oil.
The largest part Of the American crop
is sold by street vendors. but small
amounts are used by confeotioners, choc-
-f.a, ----e--s--.-. 81 g. A. $3.50
facture Of oil. Peanut oil is used for
~lubricating and soapmaking and is a
good substitute for olive oil for salads
and other culinary purposes and as q
substitute for lard aud c~ott0lone and
butter IN cooking. The residue from oil
making. known as peanut cake, " is q
highly valued cattle food IN the ooun-
tries Of Europe and is also ground into
fine hcur and used as human food. It
makes good soup. griddle cakes, muf-
fms, ETC, and is one Of the most nutri-
tive Of foods. The vines. when dried.
become a very nutritive hay, readily
eaten by stock, though requiring care in
tho feeding lest It produce colo.
The present uses Of the peanut and its
products are likely TO be greatly extend
cd and new channels Of utility found
for it, as has been the case with cotton
seed. With better methods Of tillage and
q larger yield per acre the cost Of pro-
duction could be greatly lessened. Ao-
oording to the eleventh census. the aver
ago yield Of peanuts IN the United
States in 1889 was 1910 bushels per
acre, the average in Virginia being
about 30 and IN Tennessee s2 bushels
per acre. This appears to be q very low
average, especially az official and semi
official figures give 90 or 90 bushels as
an average crop, and 100 bushels are not
an uncommon yield.
While the peanut has been cultivated
in the United States to q limited extent
for a number Of years, it is only since
1856 that the crop has become of pri-
mary Importance in the eastern section
Of this country, which seems peculiarly
adapted to It's production. Between 1865
and 1870 the rapid spread Of the culture
Of peanuts was phenomenal. Each year
doubled and at times increased three
fold its T over that Of the preceding
year, so that this country, from being a
large importer Of west African nuts,
was soon able TO supply the domestic
demand with the home raised article.
Virginia, North Carolina and Tonnes
see produce q large part Of the peanut
crop Of the United Statss. Within the
last few years this crop has ceased to be
as profitable as heretofore. The method
Of culture-the annual planting Of nuts
ON the same land, the lack Of proper ro-
tation Of crops, the complete removal Of
all vegetation from the land and the fail
ure TO replenish the soil by means Of
fertilizers-has been a great factor in
reducing the profits Of the crop by re-
ducing The ability Of the land to pro-
duce such crops % were previously So
cured in that section, 50 that now in.
stead Of an average Of so bushels per
acre, with frequent yields Of over 100
bushels, the average in the peanut SEQ
tions is not over 90 bushels, while the
cost Of cultivation has been but slightly
reduced.
Asregarda food value, peanut kernels,
with an average Of 30 per cent Of pro-
tein, 40 per cent of fat and IA per cent
Of carbohydrates in the dry material,
take q high rank aud should be olassed
with such concentrated foods q sofa
beans. cotton seed, etc. The vines are
shown by analysis to be superior 4
timothy hay as a feeding stun and bul
slightly inferior to Glover hay.
The ground huIls are used TO q con.
siderable extent as q parse fodder IA
European countries. Peanut meal, th'
ground residue from oil extraction, is /
valuable feeding stuff highly appreoiat
cd and extensively used In foreign ooun
tries. II contains, as the averages q
over 1900 analyses show, about 5e PEI
cent Of protein, 8 por cent Of fat and 81
per cent Of carbohydrates and Is n O
the most concen rated feeding atuhi
with which we are familiar, ranking
with cottOnseed meal, iinseed meal, ETC.
and IN some cases ahead Of them.
In describing the usoa Of peanuts II !
scarcely necessary to more than refer 3
che uss to which fully three-fourths O
che American raised crop Is devoted
The nut iB sorted IN the factory int
four grades, the FIRST, second and thir.
being sold 20 vendors Of the roasted pea
nut eithor directly o. through jobberl
while the fourth is sold to ~confectioner
20 be used IN the making Of "burn
almonds, " peanut candy and the cheap
or grades Of chocolates. The extent Q
che use Of tho peanut BY the America
people win be more fully appreciate
when it 10 remembered that they ua
1000, 900 bushels Of nuts yearly, at
o0si to the consumers 81. $40, 600, OOo
which do not form q part Of the reguiu
articles o. food, but ara eaten az Cd
time4.-BOston Herald, az
70