THE GROUND-NUT. 



403 



its chief use is for the manufacture of soap, and for lubricating 

 machinery. As a lamp oil it burns longer than olive oil, although its 

 illuminating power is less. Compared with ordinary burning oils its 

 power is feeble. It has the advantage, however, of keeping a long 

 time without becoming rancid. 



Under favourable circumstances, the nuts will produce half their 

 weight of oil, and the quantity is much increased by heat and pres- 

 sure. In India the mean yield of oil is only 37 per cent, at Pondi- 

 cherry, and 43 per cent, in Madras. In Europe it is usually found 

 that a bushel of ground-nuts produces one gallon of oil when ex- 

 pressed cold ; if heat be applied a larger quantity is obtained, but of 

 inferior quality. 



In Brazil this seed is known under the name of " amendoum," and 

 has long been used there parched for food and to extract oil from. 

 The oil is used for cooking, medicinally for rheumatic affections, and 

 for lighting. It is sometimes called pindar nut. 



The roasted seeds are sometimes used as a substitute for chocolate ; 

 according to Dr. Davey, they abound with starch, as well as oil, a 

 large proportion of albuminous matter, and in no other instance 

 had he found so great a quantity of starch mixed with oil. 



Dr. Muter, after giving the following analysis of ground-nut meal, 

 urges its more general use as an important article of food : 



Moisture 9-6 



Fatty matter 11-8 



Nitrogenous compounds (flesh formers) , . 31*9 



Sugar, starch, &c 37 • 8 



Fibre 4-3 



Ash 4-6 



Total 100-0 



From this analysis it is evident (he observes) that the residue from 

 them, after the expression of the oil, far exceeds that of peas, and 

 is even richer than lentils in flesh-forming constituents, while it con- 

 tains more fat and more phosphoric acid than either of them. On 

 these grounds we are justified in urging the adoption of the ground- 

 nut meal as a source of food, it being superior in richness of all 

 important constituents to any other vegetable products of a similar 

 nature. Although in the raw state it possesses a somewhat harsh 

 odour, similar to that of lentils, this flavour entirely passes off in 

 cooking, and when properly prepared it has a very agreeable flavour. 



This seed is held in such estimation for eating in the United 

 States (where it is known as the " pea nut "), that flourishing sale- 

 stands are seen at almost every street corner of New York. They 

 are not much appreciated in England, except by children. 



There are fully 550,000 bushels sold annually in the city of New 

 York alone. Previous to 1860 the product in the United States did 

 not amount to more than 150,000 bushels, and of this total nearly 

 five-sixths were from North Carolina. Formerly it was largely im- 

 ported into America, now they are supplied by the home crops raised 

 in Virginia and the Carolinas. 



It was estimated that Virginia, Tennessee, Georgia, and Carolina 



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