Evening star., 1924-02-10
The Peanut Industry.

IN the pre-revolutionary days tn.
peanut was planted merely for
the purpose Of producing food for
hogs and slaves In the early sew
enties the farmers in the peanut belt
began to find small market for their
peanuts. 1t was then that "hot roast
ed peanuts. five cents bag" becar.
popular. By 1908 the peanut indus
try had outgrown it's infancy; il
amounted to more than sI2,o00,0Oo l.,
that year.
Much was made OF this in the press.
One agricultural journal Of consider
able repute made this statement:
From our government reports we
learn that the country's peanut crop
this year amounted to 81, 900, 900. From
this there is reason TO believe that
the farmer who can spare a few acres
may do fairly we'll by planting peg
nuts"
By 1915 the value OF the peanut crop
in the United States had exceeded
$56, 100000. From a careful survey
OF the peanut crop by the government
experts last spring, and summing up
OF reports on the acreage planted, a
conservative estimate has been made
that our present crop is more than
twice that of 1915.
Now Texas alone has a quarter OF
r million acres planted to peanuts.
About one-third Of the territory OF
the United States is adapted to peanut
culture. although only a small pro-
portion Of that is devoted to the in
dustry. In Texas, where the boil
weevil has driven many q cotton
planter to distraction, great many
have given UP trying to grow cotton
and have, instead, put their land into
peanuts.
Peanut growers utilize every part
Of the nut. In the old days they dug
up the peanuts, picked them off the
shoots-peanuts do not grow on the
!! roots but on shoots which bloom and
then dive into the ground to bear
put them in bags and sold them; and
that was all there was to Il.
Today the tops are used for hay.
Peanut hay is about as nourishing as
alfalfa. It is easily cured, cattle like
1t, and thrive on 1t, and there Is about
$50 worth of peanut hay to the acre,
sometimes more.
peas, beans and other leguminous
plants. 1t gathers nitrogen from the
air and deposits 1t on the roots il
nodules. Whenever it is possible TO
ploy the roots back into the ground
| they supply sufficient fertilizer. Some
out the hay and then plow the peanuts
out, have them hand pick ed, and plow
the roots back into the ground, but
this Is not the quickest or Most eco
, nomical way. The customary method
! is to pull the entire plant, stack then.
on poles to dry the peanuts. then
have the peanuts picked and the top!
made into hay.
The peanut itself sis full of money!
as the saying is. The shells are nE
used for certain kinds Of flaky breal.
fast foods, rs has been said by the
facetious. They are ground into fine,
velvety-white powder and sold to the
tin plate makers. They are but two
things that will polish tin plate
| without scratching middling and
peanut shell powder, and middlings are
generally too expensive.
Peanut oil Is held to be the most
nourishing oil of all, far better than
cottonseed oil. 1t is used largely in
place of olive oil, and many a person
thinks he is getting imported olive
oil on his salads when it is really de-
rived from southern peanuts.
The bags of peanuts as they come
in from the farms are full of dirt,
pebbles and sticks. They go to the
top of the factory and by gravity are
sent down through the building where
they are cleaned, sorted, etc. Long,
wide belts move slowly and negro
women sit at each belt az lay, sing
ing and sorting peanuts saa picking
out waste matter. The big peanuts
are sold as "ju~,os" and bring a
fancy price. r>-ner peanuts are for
, shelling ans for "oiI" and so on.
The Peanuts to be sold in the shell
sre put in drums, sometimes with a
little marble dust, and whirled until
the shells are smooth and white. 9th
er peanuts are shelled and go into
bags. These are for salted peanuts
and also for peanut butter. One big
concern in New York uses only the
highest priced, top grade, Spanish
peanuts for its peanut butter.
The cakes left after the oil is ex-
tracted make the highest grade fodder
for cattle. The governments experts
!, have been experimenting for some
time with peanut bread