El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-07-14

q eventually be raised side by side with
cotton in every one Of the IS south
ern states
Grown on Waste Lands.
One Of the most important things
connected with peanuts is that they
can be grown upon millions OF acres
that are now going TO waste They
are especially fitted for the thin,
sandy cutOver forest lands OF the
south These lands are cheap and
they can be cleared and planted at
small expense The extent Of the
crop is limited only by the supply OF
labor and seed. This is the state
me0r of the department OF agricul-
lure It's experts assert that the
crop can easily be doubled without
danger of OVerprOduction or Affect
ing any crop now raised. They say
that the consumption of peanuts IS
Increasing SO rapidly that OEerprO-
ducriou is hardly a possibility More
over. peanuts are not perishable and
they can be kept in ordinary storage
for a long period of time.
Another important factor in the in
fact that the mills for crushing the
nuts are already erected A large
part of the machinery Of the cotton
seed oil factories can handle peanuts
as easily as cotronseed in the max
ing of oil. and the mills can work
of the year. All that they need is
little extra machinery Tor hauling
the peanuts and fitting them 1or the
presses AS il Is now there are cot
tOussed oil mills everywhere in close
proximity to the cotton plantations.
There are so many mills that they
can grind all the seed within four
or five months after the cotton IS
gathered. This necessitates the dis
missaI Of their hands during the re-
naming months and the mills and
the investments have been idle dur
ing that time. Now the mills can
be put TO the grinding Of peanuts as
soon as the cottOnseed has been
crushed. and they Will be kept busy
all the year round
Eleven Big Mills in Texas.
During my stay here 1 have visited
one of the largest peanut oil mills OF
the south II has s capacity of
something like 100000 bushels per
season. and 1 am told that there are
10 other plants IN Texas that can 90 .
quite as much. The origin Of the
peanut oil industry in this part OF 4
the United States started with this
mill IL came about through the eN-
ueriments Of D. S Cage, a broker OF
Houston. who was shipping cotton I
and rice to the north. MI cage was
the owner OF a cottOnseed oil mill F.
lie visited IL one day and found lnaL
the farmers, who had gathered about, 4
were discussing the crop situation .
one of them was cursinE Texas and
saving 10 was no place Tor Wnlte .
man. He said he could get no money .
for his crops and II did not pay 10 .
farm.
Hereupon 1Ir. Cage broke in What F..
IS the matter with you l am paying .
you good prices for your cotton ana
rice. am I not
YES. but I amt made no cotton
and ] amt raised no rice nave
been planting COOLERS. The peanuts
grow all right but L can't give them
Well" re5oiued Mr.. cage. IL you'll
lrIu-- your peanuts 10 the mill mere
rI pay YOU so cents hushe- Tor an
-0u have and you can tell your neigh
'Ors TO do the same
continue the story as MI Gaze
old il 70 me said he
II had no idea that my bluff would
e called and / thought Il was saIes
nvvvav. Nv idea Of the peanut crop
anne from the few nuts L had seen
u the Italian fruit stands, and
bought I might perhaps, get a nun
red bushels or so. which could
asily sell again 50, 1 went nach
o Houston, leaving the offer open
ne next day 1 got a telephone from
e was TO do with the peanuts How
1anv have vou7f I asked There are
o vvaEonloads that came in today ne
epIied, and there'u be twice that to-
morrow Well, We got tons Of pea
u-s that week and they kept COM
NJ We got so many that 1 did not
now what to do with them. ] sold
ONE in Texas. and. finally shipped
he rest to the north.
IN handling the nuts they were
low and then stepped on and the
-ernels ground into the floor ] no.
iced that they left large grease spots
nd this made me think OF grinding
he nuts into oil and oil cakes, using
ur own mill for the purpose then
ooked into the matter and found
hat peanut oil was used largely in
-urone and in other parts OF the
world I also found that hulling ma
hines could be made very cneaplys
nd I had some made for me went
az enough TO see that the oil could
e successfully produced. I then in
crested other cottonseed OIL men.
nd finally induced the Fidelity Oh
ompanv here 10 put in machinery.
greeing to furnish the peanuts
ent them 5000 tons the first year,
nd they were handled at a good
.rofit Since then the business has
zen improved, and We have large
.eanut oil industry in Texas I IN
erstand that many other mills are
low in existence throughout the
outh. and that many more VIII De
rushing peanuts this year
So much for the peanuts OF Texas