The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-03-17
TO STANDARDIZE AND
 GRADE PEANUTS

Washington, March 16.-QSpeciaI. )-- Grading and standardization of peanuts is one of the newest lines of work of the United States department Of agriculture, with view to improving conditions of handling, distributing and marketing the crop and opening up wider and new ave- nues for it's disposal. Grading and stand lardizing is being worked out on the basis of a shelling test, it is understood. Ex- perts of the department have found that the measure or weight of quantity of the unshelled nuts Is not satisfactory guide for determining the proportion of edible kernels contained in them, owing | to the dirt, shells and undeveloped ker- nels present in lot of the nuts.
 Tie bureau of plant industry and the bureau of markets of the agricultural de- partmeEt which are engaged on this woSk l of establishing grades and standards for peanuts, hope to be able to announce definite results before long, but the task is difficult and complicated. The official grades and standards when established will net be compulsory, but are expected 1 that they will be generally adopted by the producers, buyers dealers and users, all of whom will be benefited, it is predicted. l The peanut industry is great and grow | ing rapidly Formerly the bulk of nner- 1 ican peanuts are said to have been pro- duced in southeastern Virginia and east crp North Carolina. Their cultivation has spread throughout the south, especially since the advent of the cotton boil weevil. Farmers, in search of another
 imoney crop when their cotton was ruined,
 lturEel to the peanut, until last year l,zol,-
 | % acres in twelve southern states were
 planted in peanuts and the production or
 the nuts was estimated at 33,26S'OO0 bush-
 lcls by the department of agriculture. AIa-
 bama is new the leading state in peanut
 Iprodaction with 6840,000 bushels to her
 1 credit in 19l9 while five other states
 lrroduced from 3, 900 to 555o,oo0 bushels
 each The tctal farm value of the crop
 Twas esiimareo at nearly $60,c'lJco
 1 But ihe eEd is not yet, bor government scientists anc other experts familiar with
 l. tns situation predict big increase in the I,roductcn Of peanuts, as realization grows and spreads of the value of this l crop as a soil improver, as feed for hogs and hay for cattle, as the material from which edible oils and fats peanut butter aad meal, anc the basis of rlany oandles' ccnfe ctscns and other delectabie dainties. Increased consumption is bound to follow Standardization of peanuts and their prod ucts, it is declared, especially as the growers and manufacturers of the nut | take advantage of their opportur. ties for | exploiting their products by proper meth- 1 od.s Of specialization and advertising. | s:omething has already been done along | these lil.es, but much remains 1o ue done, in the opinion of Dr. l.. z. Corbett. specialist of the bureau of plant indus l try, who las been cooperating with the bureau of markets in the peanut work Peanut oil for cooking and table purposes. pr. Corbett points out, was almost un- known before the war. That great cata- clysm, which upset the whole world. opened the eyes of the makers Of salad i oils. oleon,argarfne soap and other prod ucts to the fact that there was at hand a large source of supply of materials they needed namely, in the peanut. During | the war aisc, owing to scarcity of their | customary materials, the manufacturers 1 turned to txo other southern sources or l oil. cotton seed and cocoanuts. Peanut oil l is pronounced by the government to De wholesome.
 There are only about six distinct varie- l ties of the peanut grown in the United States. the agricultural department here i has determined. The Spanish White rs the variety ordinarily met with in candy | and cakes and at the corner peanut stands. larger varieties being used chiefly for manufacturing and other purposes, IL | is stated.