Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-08-18
CONSIDER THE PEANUT
(
EXCEPT THE POTATO ITS ANNUAL.
VALUE EXCEEDS THAT OF
AMP VEGETABLE CROP.
Helps Whip the Boil Wccvil-lkccps
the Oil Mills Going Where tho
CottonSccd Product Has
Had To Go.

Washington, d. C.-While cotton is
still king in the South, tho peanut
promises to dispute or to share its
dominion in some sections as part Of
well-balanced farming practice. The
State Of Texas, for example, has plant
ed 10000 acres to peanuts, more than
doubling the acreage of last year ac-
cording to figures just issued by the
United States Department Of Agricul-
ture The prospective crop, on the
same authority, Is more than 70 mil
lion bushels for the whole South.
Texas already had the largest acreage
in 1916, though in 1909 it stood sixth,
with most OF the Atlantic and Gulf
Coast States ahead. Georgia jumped
from 10000 acres last year to 1900
The increase In Texas has been an
index of the increase throughout the
lower South, though the proportionate
increase elsewhere has not been so
great. For the South as n whole,
however, it is remarkable that the
acreage has increased from less than
million and quarter acres to more
than two million acres.
The peanut may have been held in
light esteem in the popular mind be-
cause of its association with circus
and clown, or because the expression
peanut politics" has designated low
form Of partisanship. Yet this crop
has long been important in North
Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia, with
Suffolk, Va, as the headquarters Of
the industry. Here the price Of pea
nuts Is to a large extent established
for the whole country, and at prevail
ing prices peanuts are in competition
with cotton.
BEATING THE BOIL WEEVIL.
The boil weevil drove many Texas
farmer to peanuts. From what seemed
to be hopeless situation the peanut
has rescued him, and at tho same
time rescued the oil-mill mon who
were on the verge Of a shutdown with
their supply Of cotton seed diminish.
ed. The department. of Agriculture
had long been advocating change
from the single crop standard set by
cotton. AS. long aaa u 4 nm. ives the
only money crop the arguments fell
on deaf ears, but, backed up by the
boil weevil, the campaign began to
bear fruit. The farmers began to
give part Of the cotton acreage to
peanuts. This presented n new prob.
lem and the oilmill men began to
ask questions.
They found that many Of the grow
ers were "hogging down" the peanuts;
that is, they were turning the hogs
into the fields to harvest the nuts, and
were marketing the crop "on the
hoof." The Department of Agricul-
ture had proved that 4O-bushel crop
OF Spanish peanuts would produce
more than 400 pounds Of pork to the
acre, and supplied a good ration that
needed only a little topping off with
corn to harden the meat Further
more, IL the peanut hay is harvested
before the hogs are turned in, the
hay alone almost pays for the grow
ing Of the crop, because it furnishes
palatable food to which all kinds
OF stock will turn eagerly from any
other kind Of hay. And If that were
not enough. the peanuts, in common
With other legumes, bear nodules on
their roots which gather nitrogen from
the air and put it in the soil.
HELPING THE OIL MEN.
Practically no peanut oil was made
IN this country prior to 1915, and so
benefited; but it was brought to their
attention that the United States, in
1914, was importing 1,332,10S gallons
OF peanut oil, and 44,549,7S9 pounds
OF nuts. More than half Of the oil
went to Chicago and presumably went
into oleomagarine, and the lower
grades into soap The oil brought
more than cottonseed oil. A few
changes in the oil mills, having to do
largely with the cleaning Of the pea
nuts, and they were ready for the ex-
traction, and the peanuts began to
come to them. Recently, there has
been such demand for the nuts
themselves, for manufacture into
products elsewhere, that the mills
have not been doing much extraction
because they could make more hand
ling the nuts themselves than they
could by selling the extracted product.
A single manufacturer of peanut but
ter, for example, uses more than 200
carloads Of shellcd nuts year and
expects soon to go to 500 carloads.
Bakers use immense quantities in
cakes and CONNECTIONS, and it Is stated
that many a chocolate cake is coated
with mixture of which peanuts form
a considerable part. With imports
cut OF by the war, prices are high
and give a present large impetus to
growing peanuts; and even at present
prices for cotton, peanuts are more
profitable where there Is serious dep
relation by the weevil.
WHERE PEANUTS EXCEL.
The South has a great deal Of sandy
soil, and in many sections corn sue
cumbs to the dry weather just at the
time when it most needs moisture.
Such soils In such sections furnish
just the right conditions for peanuts,
which require less rain than corn.
II the peanut could choose ibs own
ned, 1t would pick these sandy lands
as just tho right place.
Furthermore, the peanut improves