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

KOLc- IN AeAdSr ID 4ly NJ N
- would ever think of a peanut O.
4 L soy bean in connection with on
munitions plants2 They seem as fan
apart as Cape Horn and Alaska
Nevertheless the war has brought
them together and just now they are
thicker than thieves Either the bear
or the nut in the shape Of nitrogIyce,
rine, may sleep in the submarine tor
pedo which is to destroy a great bat
tleship. OF it may be part of an explo-
sive that will send a half ton pro-
jectile flying forth from the mouth OF
a gun TO land on the enemy's trenches
u miles away
The oil from the peanut also forms
2 nlmpOrLa1r part OF our food supply,
and % has already doubled i'm value on
account Of the war 10 Is eaten large
~ in France. where il completes wi
olive oil and takes the place or butter
and lard Olives and Sardlnes may
be packed in IT, and Do forms the foun-
dalton Of OleOmargariue and artificial
buffers Of various kinds. We now
find that the meal mixed with white
flour makes palatable and hlglF
nutritious bread, and that 10 may be
used for crackers and cakes. Peanut
butter can take the place Of COW s
butter and peanut meal which is \
by-produc- Of OIL makes the best or
stock food and adds thereby TO our
dairy and meat supplies
Belong TO the south.
Both the peanut and soy bean are
crops peculiar 10 the south They are
comparatively new and both promise
10 have a place close 20 cotton and
corn in the developments Of the near
future. Z shall speak Of the peanut
crop first Within the past few years
It has been growing faster than
Jonah's Eourd. which sprang up in a
night At the last census IL was H.,
100000 bushels. and five years later il
had jumped TO about 100000
bushels There has been an enormous
increase since then. The crop last
year was worth S+0.000,000, and with
the high prices Of today no one can
tell what the crop OF this year will
sell for
War Cuts OFF European Peanut Produ
Before the war we were importing
about 100000 pounds Of nuts and
l-3O0.000.000 gallons Of peanut oil
from Ham burg. Delft ana MarSe1lle-
The nuts brought almost $4,000 GOO
and the oil was valued at about $780,
600 The oil was used mostly for the
making OF butteriue and other lard
substitutes The war shut off these
imports and in 1915 the manufacture
Of peanut oil was taken up on a large
scale. The production In 1915 was
5000. 900 or 1000. 600 gallons We now
have the additional demand for muni-
rions. and IL viii probably be doubled
this year The peanut is being grown
commercially in all Of the states II
the south with the exception Of ken
lucky. The most important states
are Virginia. North Carolina, Georgia,
Florida Alabama and Texas
Texas Area Increasing.
Down here in Texas the area planted
TO peanuts is rapidly increasing. Two
years ago IL was only 10000 acres
Last year II was over -l5.000 acres.
and this wear the farmers say that
the crop viii be 100000 acres more.
The same is true Of other parts Of the
south. In 1903 the production Of the f.
whole country was about e0.o0000l 7
bushels and II was almost double thar .
In 1918. This year we shall raise more /.
than 1000 600 bushels OF peanuts ana
the prospect is thar this Is only the
beginning Of an industry. which will .
run into the hundreds Of millions Of
bushels per annum, and VIII have a
money value that viii compare IA
vOrahly with the greatest crops or I
the union The Texas farmers tell me .
that peanuts and cotton. acre Tor acre
as far as the value OF the crops IS
concerned. are now running neck and /
neck with the chances in favor OF /
the peanut They are raising the lat
ter on the demonstration farms and /
producing better results ever season
Prizes for eBEt Crops
The Texas Industrial congress Is Of I
ferinE rewards for the best yields Of .
peanuts raised after its directions ]
The chief prize last year was won by /
2 girl Of a. She raised go bushels J
Of nuts and more than two tons OF I
hav on one acre Of Ground She re-
ceived a prize Of $500 I'm cash and in .
addition several hundred dollars from I
the sale of her nuts and the hay II
have the record Of a man who grew
$500 bushels on 125 acres and made a 7
profit therefrom OF over 5000 He .
sold his nuts at 1875 a bushel He .
had in addition 30 tons OF hay. for .
which he got SIS a ton. and the hogs .
which he fattened on the vines and .
the roots brought him $3.50.
am told that the crop is cheap F.
one to raise, and that the hay alone I
viii pay the cost Of production, leav- /
ing the peanuts as clear profit The +
industrial congress estimates the I
Weld at from 90 to 40 bushels Der acre T
and says that by good seed selec- /
ton So bushels can be produced with I
a small additional cost The aver ]
axe yield in east Texas last year was .
- bushels. This means a return in 4
peanuts and hay Of s45 per acre.
These figures show big profit T
They show that the peanut era has
come To STAY. and that the crop viii