THE PICKING AND HANDLING OF PEANUTS. 7 



CARE OF SHELLED GOODS. 



It is customary for tlie cleaners to stack the bags of shelled peanuts 

 in a corner of tlie factory, where they are exposed to the dust. By 

 this method the shelled peanuts are liable to attack by insects coming 

 from infested stock in the factory. The finished goods should be 

 stored either in a specially constructed building or in a room tightly 

 built to keep out dust. By this method it would also be possible to 

 give these goods a fumigation before shipment. 



Shelled peanuts are subject to injury from moisture or from ex- 

 treme heating. The storage room should be dry and should be so 

 located that the heat from the engines or boilers will not affect it. 

 This storage room for shelled goods should be arranged for con- 

 venience both in handling the bags from the filling machines and in 

 loading them into the cars. 



CLEAN CARS. 



It is customary to reload cars that have been emptied of farmers' 

 stock peanuts with cleaned goods ready for the market. Very often 

 the cleaning of these cars is left to laborers and the work is not 

 properly done. More care should be taken to sweep these cars prop- 

 erlv and if thev are infested with insects they should be fumigated. 



SUMMARY. 



The difficulties which now confront the dealers and handlers of 

 peanuts are due largely to careless methods on the farms. The 

 trouble results mainly from the improper methods of curing the crop 

 and the breakage of the shells in thrashing. Greater attention should 

 be given to the housing and care of peanuts after their removal from 

 the vines. This applies both to storage on the farm and in ware- 

 houses. More careful attention should be given to the condition of 

 cars used for the .shipment of cleaned and .shelled peanuts. There 

 are no .serious problems involved, but a general improvement in the 

 methods of curing and subsequent handling of the crop is needed. 



Approved : 



James Wilson. 



8ecretar\j of Agriculture. 



Washington, D. C, August 2Jf, 1911. 



[CAT. 88] 



o 



