The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-09-30
AMERICAS PEANUTS
COME FROM CHINA
FIRST SAMPLE TAKEN THERE MISSIONARY WAS LOOKED
ON WITH sUsPIcIoN-THosE IMPORTED ARE OF THE
g. VIRGINIA

The average person, accustomed tt
buying his small bag of peanuts at the
whistling roasting machine in front OF
a fruit store, thinks of peanuts, if he
thinks of the matter at all, as coming
from Virginia. He would be surprised
to learn that the American market
: has been materially influenced fol
, many years by the importation of for,
eign-grown nuts, says the Bureau OF
Markets and Crop Estimates, United
States Department of Agriculture
Even as far back as the fiscal year
Y 1910 a total of 29,276,235 pounds
were brought into the United States
. chiefly from Spain, France and Japan
Receipts reached their highest point
in the year ending June 30, 1920,
when 1s2,412,4ss pounds of peanuts
were imported by the United States,
: most of which were grown in China.
OF this amount 120,344,425 pounds
were shelled and 12,067, 1898 pounds
unshelled. ......
Shelled peanuts have constituted
! the greater paprt of the imports dur
ing recent years. A considerable por-
ton Of these Oriental peanuts are
! of the same general type as those
grown in the peanut belt around Snf-
folk and Norfolk. The United States
Department of Agriculture, in fgur-
ing domestic peanut production, con-
!. siders that a bushel of unshefled Vir-
ginia peanuts weighing % pounds
viii shell out Ia 2-3 pounds, or 66
2-3 per cent Of the unshelled weight.
Using this basis Of comparison and
Converting shelled figures to unshell-
ed equivalents, our imports during
the fiscal year 1919-2o totaled 1922
5s4636 pounds, or nearly 100000
bushels, as compared with a domes-
tic production during the 1920 sea-
s son of less than 36,ooo,o00 bushels.
In addition to the imports of peanuts
during the fiscal year ended June 80,
1920 17o, ,16o,s67 pounds of peanut
oil were imported, which called for
J the crushing of an even larger vol
ume of peanuts abroad than were &C
( tually shipped here, For the fiscal
year 1920-21 imports Of peanuts TO-
tailed 47,989,230 pounds and peanut
oil 1s,67e,1s1 pounds. The large i'm
Z portation Of peanut oil during 1919
20, together with the low prices at
which it was offered, was material
factor in curtailing the peanut oil
production in the United States. The
past effect of foreign peanuts on the
domestic peanut industry is therefore
seen to be of distinct Importance.
Spanish Shipments Cease.
India and Africa, especially Sene-
gal and Gambia, in the past have been
the worlds heaviest peanut produc-
ing countries, although few nuts from
these sources have been marketed in
the United States, except when trans
Z shipped through ports Of France and
England and other European coun-
tries. Spain was formerly one of the
most important sources of our for
eign supply on account Of shipping
difficulties. Imports from that coun-
try, however, ceased entirely during
the war, 49, ... ...
& For a number of years China has
produced the bulk of the peanuts i'm
ported into the United States. Shan
tung is the leading peanut producing
region in China, as its soil is particu-
alarly adapted to the growing of pea
nuts. The nut grown in that province
is said to be larger than that grown
in any other part of China, and con-
ia ms more oil. The Provinces of Hon.
an and Chihli rank next to Shantung
in the production of peanuts. Pea
nut farms" in Shantung are small
plats of ground, often not over two
acres in area. Yet from the produce
of small plats like this chinese far
mer secures living not only for him
self and family, but occasionally
gives his sons a college education.