Chinese Peanuts

Southern peanut planters have little economic reason to thank Archdeacon Thompson or Dr. Charles R. Mills of the American Presbyterian Mission to China. Thirty-five years ago, these gentlemen imported four quarts of U. S. peanuts. Half of them were given to two Chinese farmers as the basis of a Chinese peanut crop. One farmer ate his peanuts instead of planting them. The other, however, planted and replanted his peanuts, until now the Shantung Peninsula grows 18,000,000 bu. per annum. The Chinese peanut crop now exceeds even that of this country.

U. S. peanut production, during a recent year, amounted to 623,000,000 lb. valued at $30,000,000. Norfolk, Va., is generally considered the centre of the business, although Texas, with 205,000 acres in peanuts, leads all other states in output. Peanuts are grown extensively through the historic river plantations of Virginia; and one secret of Southern hams is said to consist in feeding hogs peanuts instead of corn and other food. In recent years, it has been observed that certain Mediterranean ports had suddenly become large importers of peanuts; on investigation it was discovered that oil was extracted from them and sent back to the U. S. under the head of “olive oil.”