The Colfax chronicle. [volume] (Colfax, Grant Parish, La.) 1877-1981, 1902-10-04
VIBRATIONS OF THE NUT.
How Some Varieties Have Bees
TransDlanted In yarious Parts
OF the World.

Eyes, thank you,'' said the profes
sor of botany, as the mistress OF tn
house at which he was visiting passe,
him the nuts, 81 am very fond of nuts,
he added, as he pushed the finger bow
away and began deprcdations with ,
par of nut crackers on some peculiarl,
stubborn variety, which at first BAT
fed his most vigorous attempts. relates
the New York Tribune.
II suppose you know every nut by
name and all about their ancestry ana
birthplace" said the younger daugh
ter of the household, who had just re.
turned for the summer vacation from
Vassar.
II would like to know great deal
more about them" was the noncommi-
tai reply. II have always had the
greatest interest in nuts ever since the
time that as boy went out on nut
ting parties. The children of this age
do not go nutting, as their fathers and
grandfathers did.
"Nuts have become most important
article of commerce at the present
time, and 1 read only yesterday that
100000 Brazil nuts, the kind have
IN my fingers, are exported from the
South American port of Para alone.
These nuts are obtained from a re-
markabIe tree, which attains the height
of 100 feet before the branches spread
out. The trees are buttressed in the
lower part Of the trunk, affording a
sort Of tentlike room for q small fam
lily. The nuts grow in large capsules,
which when they fall to the ground
are split open by the natives, and thus
the nuts are gathered.
Zone can buy at almost any grocery
now more than dozen kinds of nuts,
each Of which represents for the most
part different part Of the earth.
Here in this dish, for instance, are
walnuts. peanuts, hazelnuts. butter
nuts, fiIberts, 'cobnuts, chestnuts and
our own American peanut.
"The walnut is strange sort of
vagrant, and SO 1t has earned its name,
which in the German means foreign
nut. 1t has changed its habitat until
It has gone all around the world. It
IL close relative of the butternut,
and was first found almost rs far
north as the Arctic circle. At later
date It appeared in France and then
shifted TO Japan. After several GEN.
turtles it was again introduced into
Europe from the country south of the
Caucasus. Hence, it's name, as for
eigner.
II don't know Of q city-where
have been that there is not Fflbert
street." said the professor, after he
had discovered filbert nut at the bot
tom OF the dish. "The reason is that
the fibert has long been a popular
nut. 1t is named after a German saint.
whose day is August %. The chief DIFF
ference between flberts and cobnuts
df that the first are longer, with the In
volucre completely covering the nut.
while the cobnuts are rounder, with
less husk.
England IS the home of the hazel
nut, and English hazelnuts, by the way,
are far superior to our American va
rieties. In the old country the culti-
vation OF hazelnuts has been carried !
on with such success that the nut has
become dainty, and is ranked as
SUCH"
But You said something about even
our American peanut, {" said the Vas
ssr student. ~and you said it as II the
peanut belonged to q loyer class. You
didn't mean to make fun of the moor
peanut, did you?s
well, not make fun of il, exactly."
replied the professor, "but we All
know, Devertheless, that the moor pes-
nut is made fun of, abused and regard
cd as poor mans nut by great MANY
people. Isuppose the reason Is thatit
% such an easy NUT to eat that II has
become common, and hence regarded
- vulgar by those people who are C.
ways trying to avoid doing what the
majority, or, as they term It. the
masses, do. Peanuts can be carried
anywhere and by some are eaten about
everywhere. Hence the contempt for
The peanut has been caused, not bv
the peanut itself. but by those Who
persist in the abuse Of eating it indis-
But the peanut is not truly nut?r
Interrupted the girl collegian, as she
ooked at her mother to see what eff
ect the question would have. +,
Very true" answered the botanist.
Strictly speaking, IL is a pod, much
ne same as peas or beans. And the
eason that I said that it is American
because 1t was first found growing
Central America. 1t was then trans. .
TAINTED to Brazil and Peru. It next
ound its way to China, and was car {
led by the Chinese to India, Ceylon !
nd the Malay archipelago. Then the /
nterruped the girl collegain, as she ,
'ortuguese adventurers carried It IN Z
heir slave ships to Africa. in later DAYS
has invaded Australia, as well." I
Which is another evidence Of the I
american INVASION" said the father I
the household, who played humble :
epeg with the professor 40 years be. I
pre-.
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