The Roanoke daily times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1895-1897, 1896-01-16
THE POTENT PEANUT.
ONE WOULD HARDLY THINK TpE
HUMBLE GOOBER so IMPORTANT.

About Four Million Bushels Raised In
This Country Every Year-The Most Nu-
tritious and by Far the Cheapest of
Foods-Substitute For Olive Oil.
But little is known of tho peanut out
side of localities in which it is grown,
and even where it is most largely grown
it's 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 II Of the most profitable of the gen
eral farm crops in the south. The fol-
lowing facts about it are i'll the main
condensed from a 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
this country is about 1000, 900 bushels
of 20 pounds, tho bulk of the crop being
produced in Virginia, Georgia, Tonnes
see and North Carolina. These A, 0O0,-
600 bushels, while fully supplying tho
present demand of the United States,
constitute but a small part of the pea
nut crop of the world, as the exporta-
tion from Africa and India in 1899
amounted to nearly 400, 600, 600 pounds,
of which 222, 600, 600 pounds went to
Marseilles for conversion into oil.
The largest part Of the American crop
is sold by street vendors, but small
amounts arc used by confectioners, choc-
olate manufacturers and for the manu-
facture of oil. Peanut oil is used for
lubricatiDg and soapnlaking 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 Il
highly valued cattle food in the coun-
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 one of the most nutri-
tive Of foods. The vines, when dried,
become n very nutritive. hay, readily
eaten by stock, though requiring care i'll
tho feeding lest it produce collie.
The present uses of the peanut and it's
products are likely to be grently extend
ed IA now channels of utility found
for it, as has been the case with cotton
seed. With better methods of tillage and
n larger yield per acre the cost of pro-
duction could be greatly lessened. Ac-
cordlnB to tho eleventh census, the aver
age yield Of peanuts in the United
States in 1889 was 17.6 bushels per
acre, the average in Virginia being
about 20 and in Tennessee SO bushels
per acre. This appears to DO q very low
average, especially as official and semi
official figures give so or 60 bushels as
an average crop, and 100 bushels are not
al uncommon yield.
While the peanut has been cultivated
in the United States to a limited extent
for a number Of years, it is only since
1866 that tho crop has become of pri-
mary Importance in the eastern section
of this country, which seems peculiarly
adapted to its 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 crop over that of tho preceding
year, SO that this country, from being IL
large importer Of west African nuts,
was soon able to supply the domestic
demand with the home raised article.
Virginia, North Carolina and Tennes-
SEQ produce a large part Of the peanut
crop Of tho United States. Within the
last few years this crop has ceased to be
as profitable as heretofore. Tho method
OF culture-tho 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 tho fail
ure to %replenish the soil by means of
fertilizers-has been a great factor in
reducing the profits of tho crop by re-
ducing the ability of the land to pro-