Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-07-09
The Peanut Industry.

THE peanut, sometimes called ground
pea or ground nut, is known in
our southern states as the pinder or
goober. The French call it pistache de
terre. 1t is generally believed to be a
native of Africa, where it is the princi-
pal food of certain of the Kongo tribes.
Four or five species Of the nut flourish
in Brazil.
Its cultivation has been successfully at
tempted in Spain. In this country it is
raised chiefly in the states of Virginia,
North Carolina and Tennessee. and it
has been cultivated with success in
California.
The culture of the peanut is not at
tended with much difficulty. Land suit
ed to the raising of corn or melons is
generally selected, and care is taken
that there be nothing in the soil that
would stain the shells. Planting be-
gins when the danger from frost has
passed. The ground is plowed 1--WE or
six inches deep, and then narrowed.
The nuts are taken from the pod with
out breaking their skins and are plant
ed two or three together in rows. about
three feet apart and twenty inches from
hill to hill. being covered with two
inches of earth.
In october. when the nuts are ripe,
the farmer loosens the earth and pulls
up the vines. to which the nuts adhere.
and turns them over to dry. He per
forms this task only in pleasant wealth
er and when the ground is dry. When
the vines have lain in the sun for a
day. which is sufficient time for them to
dry, the grower stacks them around a
stake about five feet high.
Inc vines remain in stack from three
10 hre weeks, after which the nuts are
picked on, placed in sacks and shipped
10 market. A vine under favorable
conditions often bears more than hum
dred nuts. and the yield per acre fire.
quently exceeds forty bushels.
N me greater part of the Virginia and
IMAM two-thirds of the whole crop of
the country. is marketed in Norfolk
and Petersburg. To polish them. and
10 remove the earth and stems. the
nuts are secured in large metal cylin-
ders, from which they pass through
blast fans. in which a strong current
OF air separates the fully developed nuts
having sound kernels from those inn
perfectly filled. and from empty poda
The sound nuts fall throuh the fan
upon sorting tables. where those that
are discolored are taken out. and the
. bright to-, ones are passed on into sacks
OF nuts. Each sack is marked with the
brand that indicates the grade of its
contents.
nc udTh anu partially nlled nuts are
shelled. and the kernels are used NV
candy manufa cturers
Roughly speaking, three varieties of
peanut are grown in this country-red
white and Spanish. The white The
most important variety, has a nut With
two kernels with pink skins; its vine
spreads along the ground, in this re-
spect unlike that of the red variatv
which grows more upright and in
bunch.
The pod of the red nut holds thre.
and sometimes four kernels, and ha.
deep red skin. The Spanish is a much
smaller nut. with lighter skin and
milder flavor than either of the Others
possesses. The entire crop is sheJIed
and used especially in the confection
known as nougat.
The peanut is much more usefuI
product than most people think. Re
sides its use in the roasted form. there
are other innumerable uses.
The nuts contain from AZ to 20 rer
cent OF nearly colorless, bland. nxed
oil, resembling that of the olive and
used for similar purposes.
More than twenty-five years go there
was begun in Virginia the manufacture
Of peanut -four, of which a particularly
palatable biscuit is made North Car
oiina has long made pastry of pounded
1t is also eaten for dessert
ma Is roasted as a substitute for cof-