The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1896-02-14
THE POTENT PEANUT.
ONE WOULD HARDLY THINK THE
HUMBLE GoOBER so IMPORTANT.

Foods-substitute For Olive oil.
But little is known of the peannt 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 it 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 the most profitable Of the gen
eral farm crops i'll the south. The fol
lowing facts about it are in the main
condensed from bulletin of the United
States department of agriculture pre-
pared by r. B. Handy of the Office Of
experiment stations.
The yearly production of peanuts in
I this country is about 1000, 600 bushels
Of % pounds, the bulk Of the crop being
produced in Virginia, Georgia, Tennes-
see and North Carolina. These 1000,
/ 600 bushels, while fully supplying the
present demand of the United States,
constitute bat small part of the pea
nut crop Of the world, as the exporta-
ton from Africa and India in 1892
amounted to nearly 400, 900, 600 pounds,
Of which 222, 900, coo pounds Went to
Narseilles for conversion into oil.
The largest part of the American crop
IS sold by street vendors, 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 conn
tries of Europe and Is also ground into
fine flour and used as human food. 1t
makes good soup. griddle cakes, muf-
fins, etc, and is cne of the most nutri-
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
fer it, as has been the case with cotton
seed. With better methods Of tillage and
larger yield per acre the cost Of pro
dGction could be greatly lesSened. Ac-
carding 10 the eleventh census, the aver
: age yield cf peanuts in the United
, states in 1889 was I7.6 bushels per
are, the average III Virginia being
! about 20 and in Tennessee 81 bushels
: pcr acre. This appears to be very low
= average, especially as official and semi
II a I,,I
an average crop, and 100 bushels are not
az uncommon yield
While the peanut has been cultivated
ia the United States To a limited eNten;
: FIR number Of years, il l. only since
1866 that the crop has become of pri-
- mary Importance iii the eastern section
: If this country, which seems peculiarly
D "a apted To its production. Between 1866
+ AID 1870 the rapid spread Of the culture
e q peanuts was phenomenal Each yeaI
! q ubled and at times increased three
: fuld its crop over that of the preceding
+ ; lr, so that this country, from being ;
\ large importer Of west African nuts
/ vas soon able TO supply the domestic
D demand with tie home raised article.
!. Virginia, North Carolina and TeuneS
c Sc produce e large part Of the peanu
! crop Of the United States Within the
d LIST few years this crop has ceased TO b,
: a5 profitable as heretofore. The mctho,
: os culture-the annual planting of nut!
ca the same land, the lack Of proper TO
r t;.tion of crops. the complete removal c
all vegetation from the land and the fail
IRE to replenish the soil by means q
rtilizers-has been a great factor il
reducing the profits of the crop by re
I dlcing the ability Of The land 20 pro
y ddce such crops rs were previously Sc
s cared in that section, 50 that now IN
S'ead of an average of 80 bushels PEI
acre, with frequent yields Of over loo
tIshels, the average in the peanut sec
tons is not over 20 bushels, while tn,
cost of cultivation has been but slightly
+ reduced.
I As regards food value, peanut kernels
a with an average of 20 per cent of pro
tein, 40 per cent of fat and a per cen
Of carbohydrates in the dry material
take high rank and should be classeC
V with such concentrated foods as sol;
beans. cotton seed, etc. The vines ar,
&, shown by analysis to be superior I,
, timothy hay as feeding stuff and bu
= slightly inferior 10 clover hay.
? The ground hulls are used TO a con
siderable extent as coarse fodder il
European countries. Peanut meal, tn,
ground residue from oil extraction. is
valuable feeding stuff highly appreciat
e ed and extensively used in foreign coun
S tries. 1t contains, as the averages o
. over 1900 analyses show, about - PEI
4 cent Of protein, S per cent Of fat and q
per cent Of carbohydrates and is one %
the most concentrated feeding stuff
with which we are familiar. rankin;
with cottonseed meal, linseed meal. etc
7 and III some cases ahead of them.
: In describing the uses Of peanuts it i
!. sl.lrcnly necAss..1-u Ii 1nurn thnm rnfn1 Z.