Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1920-11-04
CHINA takes Up
WALNUT GROWING
Its Cultivation and Sale the Main
Support of Hundreds of
Villages.
S1.027.491 WORTH SENT HERE
George E. Young Of Shanghai Says
the Chinese Will Soon Be CON-
netitors in TextiIes-Take In
terest in Their Lands

New ! OfK.-E OliOW1nS the 1InpOIIS-
ton Of Walnuts to China by the early
missionaries the Chinese developed
this industry 50 carefully that it has
now reached tremendous proportions,
according to George E. Young of
Shanghai, China, who has been in the
Orient ten years. Mr.. Young said
that the Chinese are growing more and
more interested in their lands and con-
siderable development will be seen dur
ing the next few years.
"The cultivation and sale Of the
walnut, which was first brought to
China by the American missionaries,
now supports hundreds Of Chinese
villages said Mr.. Young. "The
methods of preparing the nuts for mar
ket are most primitive, but as labor
is cheap they are able to send them
to this country and compete favor
ably with the domestic market. For
the American market they use only
the highest grade nuts. They select
the bright cOIOred and shiny nuts and
they are ble&ched, sorted and packed
according to grade. Those Of specked
and inferior shells are cracked and
the meat is packed for confectionery
purposes This cracking is now done
by hand because the only walnut
cracking machine is owned and oper-
ated with greatest secrecy by walnut
growers in this country.
Chinese Waste Nothing.
"The economical bent Of the Chinese
is given full play in the walnut grow
ing industry. They utilize every par
ticie Of the product. When the crop
is gathered the husks are beaten off
the nuts and are buried in wet earth
to rot FOR fertilizer. The nuts are
delivered to the ports through vari-
Gus agencies, the original grower get
ting an insignificant part of the price
realized for them.
'The M6nchurian walnut has q hard
er shell than the product OF this coun-
try. The shells Of the inferior ap-
pearing walnuts, which are cracked be-
fore shipment. are used for fuel, and
on account Of the large proportion
Of oil they contain they make an eX-
cellent fuel. The Manchurian wal
nut commands a special advantage in
the confectionery making trade be-
cause of superior flavor ana texture
of the meat.
'This spring the price quoted to
American importers for delivery at
San Francisco was as high as 20 to
80 cents, including cost, insurance and
freight with the transpScific shipping
rate at $3.50 per ton. The quota
lions are now around % cents. The
whole nuts are shipped in 1OOpound
bags of burlap which are made in
India. The walnut meat is very care
fully wrapped in paper and packed in
wooden boxes to keep out moisture,
which is likely to produce mold. In
the United States the Walnuts are
placed in cold storage, which preserves
their freshness, preventing drying, and
the crop which we ship the last OF
June does not get on the market here
until some months later"
Handicapped by Superstition.
Mr.. Young pointed, out that accord
ing to the last issued bulletin Of the
Department of Commerce for May,
1920, 10121, SS1 pounds of walnuts
came to the United States from China
in the II months ended with May, and
their value was $1,8S7, 491. He says
that the Chinese are still greatly
handicapped by their old superstitions.
After the age-old practice Of having
all streets and passages irregular so
that the evil spirits cannot find their
way, they are laying out their farms
in patchwork order, making the roads
rather difficult for anyone not famil-
lar with the locality.
''There is a large and growing mar
ket in China for every kind Of ma
chinery," said Mr. Young. "This is
particularly true of machinery used in
the textile industry. The Chinese are
going to be competitors of the whole
world in textiles. When a Chinaman
figures out anything and decides to
adopt it in his business he is not con-
tent to stop there. He is buying ma
chinery now for every process in which
he has learned it's advantages.
1.-THE Chinese have no feeling against
the Americans, but, Of course, their
hatred for the Japanese grows worse
Americans in business in China are
disappointed with the class of men
from this country who have rushed
into the oriental field in the belief
that great postwar profits lie there.
They are the cheapest sort of traders
and they are not even intelligent in
business"