406 



THE AGRICULTUEAL NEWS. 



December 16, 1916. 



Against last year 55,358 

 ., 1914 43,331 

 „ 1913 42,769 



1912 28,655 



total crop 



85,278 bales 

 78,857 „ 

 85,544 „ 

 66,169 „ 



SEA ISLAND COTTON MARKET. 



General Kise in Prices. 



Messrs. Wolstenholme and Holland, of Liverpool, 

 write as follows, under date November 14, 191G, with 

 reference to the sales of AVe.st Indian Sea Island 

 cotton: — 



We have no business to report in West Indian Sea 

 Island cotton, because there is no stock. 



Sakellarides Egyptian has advanced rapidly, the highest 

 sale having been at 27'/. per fc. ; all this is in favour of higher 

 prices for West Indian when it arrive.?. 



The Report of Messrs. Henry W. Frost ic Co., on 

 Sea Island cotton in the Southern States, for the 

 week ending Xo\"ember 11, 191(J, is as follows: — 



lsL.\Ni)s. The market has been active and advancing 

 throughout the week; from 43c. our last quotation for Fine 

 has advanced to 50c. All the ort'erings as .shown on the 

 market were readily taken, the sales being 140 bales, and 

 there are further orders in the market seeking execution at 

 the 50c., but with small receipts and limited offerings can buy 

 only slowly at the price. This market is largely governed 

 by the Savannah market, and should that market further 

 advance this market would advance 



<;eorgi.\s and floridas. The market has continued 

 very active with advancing prices throughout the week, the 

 buying being still on account of the Northern Mills and 

 .speculation, and closed strong, showing an advance of 6ip., 

 with Factors holding at a further Ic. advance, which has 

 been paid already in the interior markets. Notwithstanding 

 this unexpected and almost unprecedented advance, there is 

 still a disposition among the holders of cotton to keep their 

 stocks off the market in expectation of still higher prices. 

 This feeling is caused by the high prices ruling for ICgyptians 

 and the difficulty of getting them just now. The strength of 

 the market is al.so due to spinners' orders seeking execution, 

 and is not based on speculation f)r manipulation. 



We quote, viz: — 



GEORGIAS .\NI) KLORID.\S. 



Fancy and ) ^^ ^^^ ^^ -q^, ^ -,-,, ^^^ g , , landed. 

 Extra (Jhoice J - - ' 



with Factors holding Ic. higher. 



The exports from Savannah for the week were, 

 to Northern Mills, 2,4fil bales, Southern Mills, 298 

 bales, and from Jacksonville to Northern Mills, 2,419 

 bales. 



The United States Census Bureau reports cotton ginned 

 to November 1, as follows: — 



South Carolina 554 balasl 



Georgia 53,294 „ Vmaking a total of 80,310 bales. 



Florida 26,462 „ ) 



EXTRACTION OF GROUND NUT OIL. 



The interest that is being shown in the cultivation 

 of ground nuts in some of the West Indian islands 

 where cotton is grown makes it desirable to reproduce 

 the following summary to farmers BuUetin, No. 751, 

 United States Department of Agriculture. The impor- 

 tant point is that West Indian cotton seed oil-expressing 

 plants could be used for ground nuts if required: — 



Peanut oil is one of the most important of the world's 

 food oils. 



The United States imported during the year ended 

 .June ."10, 1914, 1,332,108 gallons of peanut oil, valued at 

 .^915,939. 



In making high-grade edible oils in Europe the peanuts 

 are cleined. shelled, blanched, and degermed before being 

 pressed. The first pressing is made without heating the 

 material. After the first pressing the cake is reground and 

 heated for the second pressing Three pre.ssings are usually 

 made, and in some mills a fourth 



In Europe the best grades of peanut oil are used for 

 edible purposes. The second-grade oil is used largely in the 

 minufajture of margarines. 



- Of the five varieties of peanuts grown in the United 

 .States, but one variety (the .Spanish) should be grown for 

 oil purposes. 



In order to make a very high grade edible oil the 

 peanuts should be thoroughly cleaned, shelled, blanched, and 

 degermed before being pressed 



When using a hydraulic press for e«pre.ssing peanut oil 

 the cleaned meats are ground and rolled in order to crush 

 the oil cells. In the expeller type of machine the grinding 

 is not necessary. 



To make a high-grade peanut oil in a cotton-seed oil 

 mill it will be necessary to install additional machinery. 

 The equipment used in peanut cleaning and shelling fac^tories 

 could be used to advantage. 



Kxperiments made in cotton .seed-oil mills in this 

 country show that the presses now in u.se can be used for 

 making peanut oil. 



The first pressing should be made cold, in order to get 

 a high-grade edible oil which will not need refining. The 

 second pressing should be made after regrinding and heating 

 the cake from the first pressing. It is doubtful whether more 

 than two pressings should be made in this country. 



The oil from the first pressing should be a high-grade 

 edible oil. The oil from the second pressing might be refined 

 and used for cooking or for the manufacture of oleomargarine, 

 or it miclit be iised without refining for s"ap making. 



The analy.ses of a large luimber ul miscellaneous .samples 

 of Virginia and Spanish peanuts show a difierence in favour 

 of the latter of about 9 per cent, in oil content However, 

 the analyses of the five varieties grown under the same 

 conditions show very little difference in the percentage of oil. 

 Peanut meal, a valuable by-product of oil manufacture, 

 is a highly nutritious stock feed. 



Under present conditions oil mills can not afford to pay 

 more than 70c. per bushel fnp peanuts to be used in making 

 oil. Under normal conditions they could not att'ord to pay 

 as much as this unless a higher grade oil is made than is being 

 made at the present time. 



