The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1902-12-22
new YORK MARKET NUTS
OF BUSHELS SOLD---
FROM STREET CORNERS

10 the Commission Houses-veanuts rs
Cattle Feed and Butter-scarcity of
Hickory Nuts-High Price of Chcst-
nuts-Immense Crop of Pecans
If the purchaser of a small paper bag
Of roasted peanuts or chestnuts from q
humble street. vender would stop to
think of the immense number of per-
sons who make similar purchases, not
only in New York. but in the cities
and towns throughout the United
States, he might form some little idea
Of the Importance, agriculturally and
commercially, Of the various nut crops
in this country. The growing of these
crops, their treatment, transportation
and sale, involve millions of capital,
and furnish the means of livelihood, in
whole or in part, to many thousands of
persons. The abundance or shortage of
certain nut crops, and the prices to be
obtained for them, are matters of vital
moment to large numbers of farmers
and business men, to whom the yield
Of grain or cotton, or even the price Of
coal, is Of mush less personal interest.
New York, as the greatest American
city, is naturally the chief market in
the country for nuts of every kind,
both because of its vast consumption of
them, and on account of the fact that it
is the main distributing point to other
parts of the Union and to foreign ports.
A PEANUT TRUST IMPROBABLE.
Peanuts are so associated in the pop
ular mind with the street-corner roast
er, the gallery gods and the pink lem
Onade of the circus, that it is difficult
for persons in general to realize the
commercial value of the annual crop of
these nuts in the United States, which
is said by wholesale dealers in this city
to average about four million bushels.
Efforts have repeatedly been made to
form a trust by combining the facto-
ries where the nuts are bought from
the growers and prepared for the mar
ket, and a few years ago it was report
ed that one had been organized at Nor
folk. Va, with capital of five million
dollars; but this, like all similar at
tempts, was doomed to failure, partly
because of the abundance of the raw
material. and also because the build
ings and machinery for the factories
are comparatively inexpensive, and a
new plant can be started by anybody
with moderate amount of money.
The bulk of the peanut crop is obtained
in eastern Virginia, eastern North Car
DINA and eastern Tennessee. and in
these states most of the factories are
situated, though there are some in
western cities, which handle most Of
the Tennessee crop. In all there are
about twenty factories, in which the
peanuts are cleaned, sorted according
to quality, in some cases shelled. and
finally packed in bags. While Virginia
distributes the larger part of the sup
ply. this city is the most important re-
ceiving point, large shipments being
made from here to other parts of the
United States and to foreign countries.
LARGE CROP THIS YEAR.
This years crop of peanuts is said by
dealers to be a good one. 1t has now
all been gathered, but quantities are
still shocked up in the fields. In the
y
lected by hand, have been gathered by
machinery, but this has not yet been
perfected, and in many cases brushes
the shells. Wholesale prices are now
from three to five cents per pound for
the natural nuts, according to grade,
and four and one-half cents per pound
for the shelled Spanish nuts. The
Spanish peanuts, which have small,
round kernels, are all shelled when
sent to market, being used only by
confectiOners. They we're introduced
here from Spain about twenty years
ago, and have been extensively Guilt
waited in Virginia. The total crop of
these nuts in this country this season
is estimated at about two hundred and
fifty thousand bags, or one hundred
thousand more than the average few
years ago. A bag contains about one
hundred and ten pounds. The native
shelled nuts, as we'll as the Spanish,
are used by confectioners in immense
quantities.
1t is said that the demand for pea
nuts is constantly growing, not only in
the United States, but abroad. The eX-
port trade has steadily increased, and
large shipments have been made this
season to Europe, Cuba, Mexico, Aus
tralia and even South Africa, though
the latter country produces the largest
peanut crop in the world. In foreign
countries the peanuts are not used for
eating purposes as they are here, but
are made into oil or ground into meal
for cattle.
NEW USES FOR PEANUTS.
Two new uses have been discovered
for the peanut, which have already at
tanned Importance and are expected to
be much more largely developed For
about a year, at Petersburg Va. pea
nut shells and vines have been ground
into meal for cattle food, which of
course bears no comparison with the
nut meal, but is nutritious enough to
sell for about five dollars per ton.
This is not consumed in this country
to any extent, but is now shipped in
great quantities all over the world.
Peanut butter was introduced about
two years ago, the chief maker being a
wholesale candy manufacturer in this
city. Beginning with this on small
scale, his factory now ships it by tons
to all parts of the country. No at
tempt has yet been made to build up