Mention is made in company correspondence of
cracking twenty thousand bushels of nuts for one customer in southwest
Missouri. The following details were supplied by the manager of the
company.

The machine has a capacity of from 75 to 100 pounds of kernels per hour.
As they come from the machine they carry not more than 10% shells, and
run from 28 to 30% full quarters. After being hand cleaned the net
recovery of kernels represents from 10 to 11-1/2% of the weight of the
whole nuts. Custom work is charged for at the rate of from 3 to 5c per
pound for the kernels produced. The cost of the final hand cleaning and
packaging is given as 2c per pound, which makes a total production cost
of from 5 to 7c per pound.

The operation of the machine may be briefly described as follows: The
nuts are run through a revolving screen which separates and cleans them
from all adhering husk and grades them into three sizes. They then pass
through the cracker and thence, by conveyor belt, to the picker. This
ingenious device holds the broken nuts with soft rubber rolls while a
set of fingers literally pick the kernels from the shells. Careful
sifting is the last step as the kernels leave the machine, after which
they are hand-picked to remove any remaining pieces of shell. The owners
advise that the machine has been built primarily for their own use, and
has not yet been offered for sale. They would, however, consider
building the machines for sale.

While the subject assigned me did not include the marketing of kernels,
I cannot refrain from stating that no commodity is in greater need of
orderly, organized marketing. In the meantime I would urge the small
producer to cultivate his own local market as far as possible and refuse
to produce at unprofitable prices.

Cracked black walnuts make an excellent supplementary feed for growing
chicks and laying hens.

I advertised in the Rural New Yorker, The American Magazine and Better
Homes and Gardens. Mr. Hershey advised me I would go broke advertising
but I wanted to see what would happen. The Rural New Yorker gave the
best results. I got $1.25 for a 2-lb. package. The kernels were in
clean, first-class condition. I noticed some were advertised as low as
95c for two pounds. Some people in answering my advertisement said they
had bought others that were not in first-class condition. I had no
complaints about mine. In Better Homes and Gardens I did not get enough
orders to pay for my advert