Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1908-10-14
POWDER ON PEANUTS
Used to Make the Coolers Look
Clean and Pretty.
LONG AND CAREFUL TOILET,


the Mill by Experts.
There is not much TO peanut. to
look ut It. II grows on farm and Is
ready TO eat after 1t has been roasted.
A careless deduction would link up
the farmer, the commission merchant
then the grocer or Michelanxelo.
That would be mighty careless de-
ductiOn. though. The FIRST time. lot
of unroasted peanuts are encountered
rub one on a piece OF dark cloth and
observe the white mark IL leaves That
Is talcum powder. They powder pea
nuts to make them look pretty. which
is just why sister powders her face.
and in that particular peanuts and girls
are both alike.
Any farmer can grow peanuts. but
no farmer can sell them to the con-
sumer The peanut he grows IS not fit
to put on stand. at least not until IL
has been touched up. Look at the pea
nuts on the next push cart and see
how even they run as to size. They
have all been sorted Observe how
clean they are and how white this lot
is. how gray that lot is and how uni
form all the different lots are They
have been sorted.
When the peanut Is grown II is gath
cred and carried TO miller. who puts
Il in great bin and later carries 81
over 10 his mill. where be has con
trivance just chock fun OF brushes
These brushes get almost every aeck
Of sand and dirt out OF the peanuts.
which is more than the farmer could
have done II he had spent the summer
trying Then the brushed peanuts go
on TO another sort of mill. and by
being tossed about they get their bulls
polished. and while that Is being done
they are peppered with talcum powder.
so that 10y the time they come out Of
this machine they are rs white as they
are to appear In public.
But the peanut Is not ready for mar
ket yet II is alongside lot Of larger
or smaller ones. hurting the appear
ance OF the larger ones. while II does
not enhance the value OF the smaller
ones. To even up matters the output
OF the talcum powder polishing ma
chine is run out on TO a great canvas
belt. which travels for fifty feet or
more slowly On either side OF this
belt are boys and girls. These sort the
peanuts as they pass: this squad pick
ing out the biggest. that squad taking
the next largest. and so on down till
the smallest are left Shells that have
lodged the powder rag are thrown
back into the mill. and broken bulls
are thrown away.
That Is about all for the peanut now.
excepting the roasting. II has 10 be
roasted There Is a popular supersti-
ton that the Italian vender roasts the
peanuts I'm HIS little push cart All be
does is keep them hot They are roast
ed AZ the mill. tons at time. cooked
10 a nicely 10y experienced men. who
have thermometers and all sorts Of
appliances TO show them when pea
nut Is done" This roasted product Is
the one that the Italian buys. and
when he gets IL he pops II into his lit
tie fake rooster and warns IL over II
takes n long time and n lot OF work
and hosts OF boys and girls To get the
nickel's worth OF hot roasted peanuts
In the red aud blue striped bag. but
there is n reason for IL all. and the
reason is that sack OF even run small
sized peanuts Will 6nd n buyer quick
er than sack OF big and little ones
all mixed up together The stomach
likes the eye TO make good report
and the peanut commission merchant
understands that shining shell. with
fluctuations filled with taIcum. pleases
the eyes, and be has no compunctionS
about the powder box. because he has
found out that in roasting the heat
drives of the surplus talcum. so that
is why II one wants 10 end ont for
true about this trick Of the trade II
will be necessary TO get hold OF an IN
roasted and not n roasted peanut
By way OF good measure 1t might be
added that the shelled peanuts. gener-
ally sold sailed. have been run through
a thrashing machine. which breaks the
hull and blows II out or the way. Only
Spanish she'll" nuts can be so treated.
The tougher hulls have 10 80 TO Slgnor
Italiano. Kansas City Journal