The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-05-06
THE POTENT PEANUT.
ONE WOULD HARDLY THINK The
HUMBLE GooeER so IMPORTANT.

| lltt1b IL kuONu vi A-lt Out-
side of localities in which it is grown.
and even where it is most largely grown
| its possibilities are for the most part not
at all realized, and ii is not by any
means made to yield the highest results
| it is capable Of Taking into account all
its sources of value. the peanut ought to
be one of tho most profitable Of the gem
eral faIm crops in the south. The fol
| lowing facts about it are in the main
condensed from a bulletin of the United
States department of agriculture pre-
pared by X. b. Handy of the Office Of
experiment stations.
The yearly production of peanuts in
this country is about 1000, 600 bushels
Of - pounds, the bulk of the crop being
produced liz Virginia, Georgia, Tennes-
see and North Carolina. These !: 0O0,-
coo bushels. while fully supplying the
present demand of the United States,
constitute but small part of the pea
nut crop Of the world, as the exporta-
| tion from Africa and India in 1892
amounted TO nearly 100. 600. 600 pounds,
Of which 222, 900, 600 pounds went To
| Marseilles for conversion into oil.
The largest pant Of the American crop
is sold by street venders, but small
amounts are used by confectioners, chOc-
Olate manufacturers and for the manu-
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 a
substitute for lard and cOttOlene and
butter in cooking. The residue from oil
making. known as peanut cake, - is
| highly valued cattle food in the cOun-
tries of Europe and Is also ground into
fine flour and used as human food. 1t
mak>s good soup. griddle cakes. muf-
fins, etc, and is one of the most nuti-
tive Of foods The vines, when dried,
become a very nutritive hay. readily
eaten by stock, though requiring care in
the feeding lest il produce collie.
The present uses of the peanut and its
products are likely to be greatly extend
ed and new channels Of utility found
for it, aS has been the case with cotton
| seed With better methods OF tillage and
larger yield per acre tie cost of pro
ducticn could be greatly leSsened. Ac-
cording TO the eleventh census, the aver
age yield Of peanuts in the United
States in 1889 was l1.G bushels per
acre, the average in Virginia being
about 20 and in TCnne>sce p bushels
per acre. This appears to be a very low
average, especially as Official and semi
official figures give 80 ar 60 bushels as
an average crop, and 100 bushels are not
an uncommon yield.
While the peanut h..s been cultivated
i'll the United States to a limited extent
for a number Of years, il J. only since
1865 tat the crop has become of pri-
mary imnortance IN the eastern section
# this cuuUtry, which seems peculiarly
adapted TO its production. Between 500
and 1870 the rapid spread of the culture
Of peanuts was phenomenal. Each year
doubled and at times increased three
fold its crop 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 Il large part IF the peanut
crop Of the United States. Within the
y
as profitable as heretofore. The method
of culture-the annual planting of nuts
on the same land, the lack of proper ro-
2 tntion of crops. the complete removal OF
ali 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 as were previously Sc
cured in that section, so that now in
! stead of AN average of 30 bushels PEI
I acre, with frequent yields If over lOC
bushels, the average in the peanut sec
ti0nS is not over 20 bushels, while The
e cost of cultivation has been but slightly
reduced
As regards food value. peanut kennels
I with an average of 80 per cent of pro
tein, 40 per cent of fat and ii per CEN
of carbohydrates in the dry material
take a high rank and should be classeC
: with such concentrated foods as sojs
beans. cotton seed. etc The vines arr
shown by analysis TO be superior {,
= timothy hay as Il feeding stuff and bu
I slightly inferior 10 clover hay.
The ground hulls are used to a con
siderable extent as coarse fodder in
4 European countries. Peanut meal, thl
!. grOund residue from oil extraction, is
valuable feeding stuff highly appreciat
t ed and extensively used in foreign coun
: tries. 1t contains, as the averages o
over 1000 analyses show, about % pc
cent of protein. s per cent of fat and 2
per cent of carbohydrates and Is one o
the most concentrated feeding stuff
+ with which we are familiar, ranking
I with cottonseed meal, linseed meal. etc
and in some cases ahead of them.
In describing the uses Of peanuts it j
D scarcely necessary to more than refer Il
> the use TO which fully three fourths o
= rho A,,,.r;cau ra5ca1 cror, i 1a,-,to,t