MARKETING PEANUTS 
25 
openings, allowing the larger, jumbo peanuts to tail over the end 
of the cylinder. An idea of the relation between the sizes of the 
three grades can be obtained from Figure 9. 
POWDERING OPERATIONS 
The peanuts in a day's run at any plant may be grown on several 
widely different soils, and the pods often retain the color of the 
soil to a slight extent. Further, some pods become discolored by 
exposure to weather. To give them a clean, uniform appearance, 
the pods are run through polishing drums (fig. 10) containing a 
fine, white, dust-like mineral powder. After the pods and powder 
have tumbled around together, enough powder remains on the hulls 
to give them a fairly uniform color. Black or discolored spots on 
the pods are often partially covered by the powder. 
Fig. 8. — A suction fan in a cleaning plant. One of many fans scattered throughout the factory to 
draw out lightweight pods, trash, and dust 
HAND-PICKING 
In most factories, hand-picking is the last step before bagging. 
The " picking tables" (fig. 11) consist of large revolving endless 
belts. Negro women are seated on either side to pick out badly 
discolored, misshapen or otherwise defective pods, the best of which 
are used in the extra grade. The final removal of foreign material 
also takes place at this stage, as upon leaving the picking tables the 
nuts drop through a shaft to the floor below for bagging. 
Cleaned peanuts are usually sacked in burlap bags 68 or 70 inches 
in circumference by 40 inches high, and cut from cloth weighing 
114, to 8 ounces to the yard. It is often advised that the larger, 
stronger 70-inch size, of 8-ounce burlap, be made the standard. If 
smaller, lighter-weight sacks are used, they may tear in transit. 
