The Nevada County picayune. (Prescott, Ark.) 190?-current, 1911-02-10
PROFIT IN PEANUTS
Money Making Crop Anywhere
They Will Mature.
No Other Single Article Of Human
Consumption, Not Regular Staple
Of Steady Diet, So Popular
as Little Goober.

Where peanuts are grown az crop
they prove as satisfactory as a money
maker as the staple crops Of any kind
elsewhere, and | sometimes wonder
why more people scattered over the
country do not grow them. at least for
home use.
There Is no other single article Of
human consumption that Is not regu-
lar staple of steady diet that is so uni
versally popular as the peanut, says
a writer in the Farm Progress. 1t Is
seldom that you find anyone who does
not eat them; and the rule Is that
when person gets a small bag OF
peanuts and eats one or two, he Will
go on eating them till he finishes the
bag.
Peanuts are grown commercially In
several states, but mainly in Virginia
why they should not be made profit
able crop in any other states OF the
same latitude or farther south.
They will grow very well In almost
any part of the country, but owing to
the long time they take to make their
growth they do not mature in ordinary
seasons farther north than the latitude
of southern Virginia.
But it is possible that the plant may
become acclimated to regions much
farther north; or, rather that a more
quickly growing variety may be de-
kof of In the
shorter seasons farther north.
If corn can be made profitable crop
in the Dakotas, It seems to me that
peanuts might be also made to comply
with the conditions that are normal in
that latitude. Or, If no change can be
made in the peanut itself, probably
some other treatment in the cultivation
may be adopted that will practically
sengthen the season.
For instance, If the nuts that are to
be planted are sprouted either in
hotbed or by artificial heat In the
house, before the weather is normally
warm enough to plant them in the reg
ular way, there may be a gain of sew
eral weeks in the growing season OF
the nuts.
This Is a very small matter, If it can
be made to- really gain two or three
weeks of time, and would carry the
peanut as a special crop. If not a
staple, several hundred miles farther
north.
But why cannot the department OF
agriculture develop a new variety Of
peanuts with a growing season much
shorter, that they will mature even as
far north as the north line Of Missouri?
This would add crop to wide region
of country that is valuable In more
ways than almost any other single
crop of this country.
While the lowly peanut Is not much
thought of as a staple crop or staple
article of food, 1t is really entitled to
more serious consideration. II should
not be considered In trivial light
delicacy with children.
II is my opinion that peanut butter
will be found cheaper and more sus-
tanning food for laboring people than
meat, and the one that possesses the
advantage Of keeping qualities far SUI
perior to animal food OF any kind.
Moreover owing to It's high content of
actual food values, 1t requires less Of 1t
to create a number OF units of energy
than any sort OF animal food.
So think the peanut is entitled to
the serious consideration of those who
s+udv food values and teach the rest
of the world how to practice the sound
est economy.