The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1919-07-02
ALABAMA LEADS THE
nation IN PEANUTS


sure while waiting on the corner for
your street car, or as diverting
amusement with the elephant at the
circus. 1t did not enter the serious
side Of our life. And then along came
bill Boil Weevil'-that not unmixed
blessing that seemed at first so disas-
trous-and all in the twinklng of an
eye, as it were, in the deep watches
of the night, the peanut sprang full
panoplied into the light of publicity,
demanding respect as prosperous
and established industry.
When old-time Alabama cotton
growers beheld the gradual approach
of the weevil from Texas, across
Louisiana and then Mississippi, leav-
ing distress and ruin for all who had
put their trust in the one crop sys
tenn, they realized they must turn at
once to some other cropping system
for support. The oil men realized,
too, that their industry was threaten
ed ana they, too, sought another out
let. The peanut seemed to offer the
means to avoid disaster. It's bounti-
full yields furnished nutritious and
economical feed for fattening hogs for
a waiting market, or was largely
sought by the oil mills for crushing
purposes. The oil mills by slight
change in their machinery found they
were able to offer an unlimited peanut
market to the farmer, as peanut oil
was in great demand in the manu-
facture in salad oil and table dress
ings. The pressed meal provided
stock meal of highest protein content
for dairy, beef cows and swine, while
the baled hay was shipped all over the
South, its feeding value being near
ly equal to alfalfa, while not so high
in price. And then, there were the
shelters who purchased nuts for the
high class confectionery trade, and
also made the product up into salted
peanuts, peanut butter and other
table dainties.
And just then came the Unsuitable
war demands for fats and oils and
an industry that had become pros
porous almost over night took another
wild leap upwards into an increased
popular favor. Cotton farmers who
had previously barely lived from one
advancing period to another; who had
always ended the year with a slightly
Increasing debt, paid up their obliga-
tions, Cancelled the mortgage on their
lands and began putting money into
the bank. The tone Of the whole sec
ton was entirely changed. There
was a sense of prosperity abroad-a
feeling Of optimism and good cheer
in the very air. Automobiles became
common in the countryside, improve
ments were made in old houses and
farm structures, blooded stock was
purchased and new homes were built.
In Geneva County, Alabama, away
down next to the Florida line, the far
mi Z operations which used to con-
centrate on cotton arc now divided
among several crops, so that last wear
three other crops-cotton, peanuts and
hogs-about equalled the value of
their cotton crop, which was about
million and a half dollars.
In the adjoining lounty of Coffee,
the cotton crops used to be valued at
one and half million dollars. Their
peanut crop, however, now brings S4,-
100000. And that is why their busi- |
ness men are planning a memorial
shaft to cost three thousand dollars to
be erected on the public square to the
'Boll Wcevil"
In 1919 Alabama planted to pea
nuts 100000 acres and gathcres -
574 900 bushels valued at $1,496,OO0.
In 1916, 100000 acres were planted
100000 bushels raised worth $lO,-
$4,000. In 1913 the area planted in
creased to over 900 900 acres, pro-
ducing 17,500,000 bushels of nuts,
worth over $17,50,O0O. This is the
story of the Alabama xcanut in a
nutshell.
Bad weather last year resulted in a
poorly prepared crop, bringing con-
slderably less money, prompted many
farmers this year to reduce their pea
nut acreage and lured by the high
price of cotton to plant it again in
cotton. But a wet July and August
have fostcrcd the infestation of the
boil wccvil and the cotton crop will
be short. Oil mills must look to the
peanut crop to keep their mills in