The Farmville herald. [volume] (Farmville, Va.) 1890-1934, 1904-03-04
Peannts AMI Hams.

introduced to the Gwathney peanu
factory, one Of the largest in the world
as l am told, and when | entered Tn
Office and approached the leading mem
Der Of the company with the reques
that | might look through the building
| was somswhat shocked 10 hear hin
say: "Well, we don't allow visitor
during working hours, aud as the fac
tory is closed with close Of working
hours don't know how your wish in
this regard is to be gratifed." / began
to bow out as / emphasized the fact Of
being law abiding citizen, unwilling
to violate the rules Of the company, &c.
when / was asked to sit down and talk
the matter over. This | promptly did,
and soon found that | was in the pre-
sence of a busy but cOurtly Nirginian
Of the old school. Learning that /
was from Farmyille we began at once
to talk Of mutual friends, the family
Of Col. G. NJ. Walker and others, with
whom Mr.. Gwsthney is accustomed to
meet in the mountains during the
summer months, and then he said:
"NOw / will show you the factory and
our manner Of handling the peanut"
Mounting the elevator we were car
ried to the fourth floor where the nuts
were gathered in vast quantity just a.
they are delivered by the farmers,
From that point they begin their de-
scent, or ascent if you prefer, TO the
markets Of the world. Just as with
wheat in your mill the sitting process
is carried on to perfection, and when
done with the varieties differ more
widely than do the flour grades. But
the sitting here differs in one particu-
lar from the manner Of dealing with
the wheat. With the latter machinery
does it all, but not so with the peanut.
After passing from fan to fan, and
from floor to floor, and as final treat
ment the human hand Is invoked.
Perhaps so colOred women are seated
on either side Of revolving screens over
which the nuts are moved rapidly, and
yet their duty is to detect and remove
all faulty ones while in motion. One
may fail to get all defective ones and
does fail, but the companion at work
comes to the rescue, and so the next,
and still the next until only the good
remain Of certain class. This dexte-
rous finger work most interested me Of
all / saw i'm this most interesting work
center.
A large part Of the output Of the fac
tory goes to market in the shell, though
some portion is shelled there, and the
lulls made into -four from which, as
am told, our ginger snaps are made.
Twenty-Five years ago Mr.. Gwath-
ley as farmer, raised a few peanuts
'or sale, and now he controls big inter.
sst in the markets Of the known world,
md last season his sales Appropriated |
y 600 600. This sounds big to those Of
Is who have been accustomed to meas
ire them by the pint. Two steamboats, |
cave the Smithfeld wharf each day Of
he week, Sunday excepted, and pea
luts constitute the bulk Of the freight
hey carry.
They are selling high this year aud |
he farmers reaping the advantage |
And since have seen the manner Of |
elling them after reaching market |
rave been wondering why tobacco isn't |
old in the same way. Samples are
at the factory and the sales |
made there, as the buyers Of town
,ather about tn. wagons in the open |
treets and the "longest pole gets the
immon." No charges, no auctioneer's |
ees, no commissions, but there are
ny peas, what will you give?"
Mr.. Gwathney told me that there
we're only some ten counties in Vir-
.inia and North Carolina where the
,eas were grown as staple crop, and |
ret the world must have roasted |
and from this limited area
hey must go. Japan, however, has
ecently entered this country as COM
,etitor, aud even the Democrats Of
,eanut sections earnestly contend for
high tariff on peanuts. SO after all
mans business has much to do with |
lis politics-aud that's just as it should |
,e where no moral question is involved. |
What's best for the business Of nation,
tate, county or municipality should |
'e public policy, or politics.
From the peanut factory went to
he home Of the Smithfield ham, and /
s / entered the building / read over
he door, FOUNDED in 1900"
] found in the office venerable Viz
.inian, Mr.. Todd, and but for the fact |
hat he too learned was from Farm
lille doubt If could haye secured an
at all, and as it was il was
ar from satisfactory. In reply to my |
uestion, "What Of the famous Smith
eld ham about which l have been |
tearing all my life and Of which i
ave now and thea tasted ?" he quiet
Y said: 81 know nothing to tell" as |
possible" / said, that you have /
cen in the business for 100 years and /
ct nothing to tell Of it2" To this /
e said: "LOok here, stranger, there
re Smithfeld hams enough on mark
t today out OF which to build a road
gay from here to California 6 feet deep /
nd 10 wide" then began TO "catch /
n" as the old gentleman's sarcasm be-
an to gnaw on limitations and frauds
lis grandfather founded the business,
lis father continued it, the son took it
p after he got through fighting Yam
a