8 



PEANUT BUTTEK. 



bean-cleaning factories and consist eitlier of a broad canvas belt, 

 as illustrated in figure 3. or of a long and narrow belt, such as is 

 used in the regular peanut-cleaning factories. 



In some factories a mechanical stoner is employed to take out 

 any small pebbles or bits of flint rock that may have escaped, the 

 process in the cleaning factory. These stoning devices all Avork 

 upon the gravity principle; the peanuts, being lighter than the 

 stones, are blown upward, and the stones fall into a receptacle. 

 (Fig. 4.) 



The shrinkage or loss in manufacture varies with the season and 

 wdth the quality of the raw materials. This is sometimes as low as 13 



Fio. ;;. — I'icking tables in a model i)eanut-buttei- factory. 



or as high as 18 per cent, averaging about 15 per cent of the original 

 weight of the goods. Taking 100 pounds of No. 1 shelled peanuts, 

 the loss in roasting will be about 5 pounds, in blanching about 9 

 pounds, and in hand picking 1 pound to H pounds. At seasons of 

 the year when the moisture content of the meats is high the loss 

 in roasting may be as great as 8 pounds. 



The working cost also varies with factory equipment and the 

 quality of the goods, the main difference being in the hand picking. 

 The larger and more perfectly equipped factories can be operated 

 more economically than the smaller ]:)lants. The working cost can 

 be safely estimated at 2 cents a pound, exclusive of bottles or other 

 containers. 



[Clr. 98] 



