Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1911. THE PEANUT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 10162, 11 February 1911, Page 4

Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 1911. THE PEANUT.

We in this country are rather apt to regard the little io qupte its popular cognomen, the. "monkey-nut"—with disdain. As a matter of fact, however, it is one of the most valuable food products which we possess, and the cultivation of the humble little "goober" is an extensive industry. In North America it is held in much higlnr estimation, owing to its dietetic I value, and peanut groves as exte'i- | sive as peach orchards, and nursed I with just as much care, can be found in places where the natural conditions are adapted to its cultivation, since the little tree is some.vnat particular in regard to situation. Last year the United States raised over £2,250,000 worth of these nuts. They enter very extensively into rh°> vegetarian menu and the confectionery trade; while as butter they are in, great demand, especially for camping-out parties, and for yachting, motor car, and other excursions. The manufacture of the butter is a very simple process. The nuts are first shelled, and then sligbtlv roasted. The thin outer ,skin is removed by fanning, being rendered - easily detachable by the roasting operation, and the kernels are then ground to a pulp, which, as it •.» udes from the machine in an oleaginous mass, is fed into tins or bottles, and tightly sealed. Certainly this butter is more tasty than the

ordinary commodity, and it is far more nourishing. In this country the nut is extensively used as a substitute for the almond, ©specially with the addition of a little essence of the latter nut to disguise the fraud, in the composition uf fancy cakes, macaroons, and icing. In the v Southern States •of America many planters who formerly raised cotton are now devoting their attention to the cultivation of the peanut. The crop is far more certain, owing to the ravages of the boll-weevil in 'connection with the cotton, and the enterprise is being attended with conspicuous financial success. Under ordinary cultivation one acre will yield thirty-four bushels of nuts, but the Government authorities believe that if the-seed is carefully selected and cultivation' carried out on more scientific lines, the yield l can be increased 'to about sixty bushels per acre. Indeed, top notch has been obtained with 160 bushels to the acre. The industry has another attractive feature; the.nuts represent absolute profit, since the vegetation is a valuable forage, and, v aggregating 2 tons per acre, -.provides sufficient to defray the whole cost of cultivation of the staple article.