The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-12-22
WEALTH IN PEANUTS
This Humble but Indispensa-
Bile Legume
DOES WELL IN OKLAHOMA
What Sam Atherton, Peanut
King" Says of it.

Guthrie, o. T, Dec 2.-One of the
industries of Oklahoma which is yet in
its infancy but with the promise of be-
come a considerable factor in the
wealth and resources of the territory, is
the growing of the "goober'' pea, com
monty known as the peanut The adapta-
bility Of Oklahoma's soil to the raising
Of peanuts was demonstrated as early as
1888, when an exhibit Of peanuts grown in
the territory took the first prize at the
Worlds Fair. Since that time there has
been a gradual increase in the acreage
devoted TO the cultivation of the peanut
and this year the estimated yield &C
cording to Mr.. s. p. Atherton, will be
1880 bushels, valued at Sl8.759. Mr..
Athe-ton Is known as the Peanut King
of Oklahoma" Several years ago he
was one of the county commissioners Of
Logan. After serving his term Of office
Mr.. Atherton retired to his farm in
Payne county and as an experiment
planted a fe wacres in peanuts. The re-
suits from this first experiment were so
has gradually extended the acreage until
now a large portion of his 100 acres is
devoted to peanuts. Discussing the pea
nut industry recently, Mr.. Anterior said:
Most of the Oklahoma peanuts are
grown in the counties Of Logan, Lin
coin. Payne. awnee and Noble; the great
est acreage being in the vicinity OF
Wright Near Eden, Noble county, is
a farm which has fifty acres planted to
peanuts. 1t wa believed early in the
spring that there would be 1000 acres Of
peanuts to be harvested this season, but
the dry weather caused much damage,
both in yield and quality. The total
acreage will probably amount to $50 and
the acreage yield will not be less than
80 bushels per acre. Last year Jeffer-
son Bowen, near Wright, raised 100 bush
els to the acre. The growers will be able
to get 50 cents a bushel for their crop.
The best quality OF peanuts this year is
worth $100 per bushel.
"An inferior crop Of peanuts might dis
courage farmer, but the peanut grow
ers are not feeling bad. can tell you
why they are not. The cost Of cultiva-
ting an acre is no greater than cultiva-
ting an acre of corn, with the exception
that peanuts require more blowing than
corn. A fifty bushel yield OF peanuts at
80 cents per .bushel is the same as
corn at Is cents bushel. 1 mean by
that comparison that climatic conditions
that would produce one would produce
the other. The corn in this instance
would bring $40 per acre while the pea
nuts would bring $25. You can see at
once why farmer can have a compare
lively poor crop of peanuts and still do
better than if he had raised a poor crop
Of corn. The neighbors Of farmers who
are raing peanuts have been so greatly
encouraged by what they have seen dur
ing the last two years that there will
be not less than two thousand acres
planted to peanuts in Oklahoma next
year.
Jefferson Bowen, ]. w. burst and my
self own the only peanut thresher west
of the Mississippi river. We are so
crowded with work that we will not get
through threshing earlier than March l.
We charge 10 cents a bushel for thresh-
ing. polishing and grading the nuts !
Owing TO the prospects Of a greater acre |
age ext year. the farmers in the neigh /
b0rhood will buy a thresher as Will those !
in the neighoorhood just east of Guthrie. |
"The industry has not yet grown to +
the Importance OF making it profitable /
for d Wholesale peanut buyer TO esta5- 4
Ish himself in business here, and the .
lack of such a buyer has been an incon- /
veuieuce TO growers Next year we hope !
10 see a Whaleale warehouse at uthrie /
In these warehouses the nuts are re-
cleaned and sorted again for different /
markets.
4 have experimental with new vari- /
ETY. this year, called the early Spanish, /
q nut that ripens about a month earlier /
than the common Virginia variety. The /
Spanish is a small nut with only two (
kernels in a pod. 1t has a very superior /
quality. however. and is preferred to all /
others by candy manufacturers. The
acre Yield is less than the common vari-
ETY., but the market price Is much greater.
The nuts are not the only WELD of a
peanut crop, The vines are preferred by
livestock TO kafIir corn, corn fodder or
alfalfa The dry vines are fatteuiug
and mich cows given access TO peanut
straw stacks produce an abundance Of
rich butter. I believe that when the
farmers become better acquainted with
the possibilities Of the peanut they will
make It's cultivation one Of the important
industries Of oklahoma I am from Viz
ginia. the home Of The peanut. and I know
from experience that there Is no better
soil and climate for peanuts than is found
1r,-.,