The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-10-30

FACTS ABOUT PEANUTS.
Four Million Hushcia Consumed II
the United states Yearly.

The American people are evidently very
par, "a 40 pc NUS, .smsrkej large pea
nut planter In Virginia 10 Washington
Star writer recently. for there nearly
100000 bushels OF them consumed In the
United States annually Before the civil
war the peanut Was only holiday luxury
10 tie majority OF the people living In the
North. the day when the circus was in
town, during the country fair, and the
great ana glorious Fourth of July beng
me principal occasions that the popular
t'ATnlng tor the nut Was III any measure
satisfied. The product then amounted TO
bafey 5000 busnes d year.
Al the close Of The war. when the SOL
DIETS returned North, thousands OF them
mad cultivated such n liking for the nut.
which hey had often pulled from the
ground ana Roasted a: the campfires while
in Virginia. Tennessee. and North Carolina,
that the crop then raised in these States
didn't beg n 20 supply the demand. Widea-
wake farmers saw the point, and small
garden patches where peanuts had been
grown for generations were soon ADAM
doned for broad le.ds. and today Virginia
ana North Carolina are growing $4,000
bushels OF peanuts a year-A result due al
most entirely 10 Tie ciY.. war and the habit
the Federal troops contracted OF eating
large quantities q. the mute. Naturally.
the returned soldiers demand for peanuts
placed them within reach OF the rural pop-
aataon IN the North. and the nat eoon
CEASED "a be "A holiday luxury.
When the war broke out most OF the
peanuts consumed IN this country were
raised IN North Carolina. a great many
We're also imported from Africa They
were of inferior quality In fact, Inc I,est
Az, De.ihia peaEssts were poor compared
with the nuts grown today But the de-
Htna for the nuts In recent years has not
had the effect OF improving the North
Carolina product or increasing It's Yield
10 any great extent. Virginia and TenDes-
sac, however, woke right up under the in
creased demand and improved cultivation
has produced "A nut especially ia Virginia,
mat rs as near perfect aa IL eaa be.
Il don't suppose there are many people
vito knox that the peanu. came to this
country with the first cargo OF slaves mat
were landed on our shores. IL ~ a native
OF Africa. and In its original state az full
OF grease almost as bit OF pork. cuitiva-
non ana change OF soil have greati, re.
d1efd the olsaslnous quality OF the nut
although the North Carolina varsity has,
enough grsase yet 20 find Il ready sal. m
France. where il Joins lls African ancestor
and costonse@d IN supplying not l(tgie ~
the olive OF We fud in DIE restaurants and
family groceries Norfolk Va. Is fas
eat1t center IN the world and
handles annually sn0D bags, OF s.o..uo
bushels
ut is a pretty sight - zee peanut pgan-
tation when the vines are In blossom The
bossoFna are "A Dr g1it yellow. and the vines
=. ~. q gre 2. A. soon as the blossom
appears a fBe branch forms on The vine
and apotS DOM INTO the ground. The
praa as TEE nuts are called Oh, the p.a.ta-
ton. form on the shoot beneath the ground.
like potatoes When the crop n gathered
IN Dciolsr the Vine is pjoMed Bp and tho
nuts hang 10 the roots. VITAE. and all
are Eailsa Ia cocks In the field and In tween
~ days the nuts aF@ ready 90 he pulled OF
paced ia La ~ and taken 20 the factories
There they are c-sansed % Dirt escorted
polished III revolving Cylinders and t,ut
snlo bags ready for sna market"