Vol. VII. No. 157. 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



13:5 



VALUE OF THE GROUND NUT. 



The value of the ground nut, not onl}' tor the 

 remunerative fruit crop yielded, but also on account of 

 the special qualities of the vines for the purposes of 

 green manure, has frequently been dwelt upon in the 

 Agricultural Neivi^. This crop is ver}' popular in the 

 United States (where it is known as the peanut), and 

 the area under cultivation appears to be annually 

 extending. From a booklet ' The Peanut and its 

 Culture,' issued by the American Nut Journal 

 Compan}', Petersburg, Virginia, the accompanying 

 notes have been taken : — 



The opinion has been entertained in some ipiarters that 

 the ground nut is an exhausting i-rop. This is an error. It is 

 only so when the method of (.■ultivatiim ado]ited involves 

 taking the entire crop, plant and fruit, otf the land without 

 putting anything liack to replace the elements of fertility 

 that have been ab.stracted. The crop does not draw heavily 

 upon the fertility of the soil. The plant is a nitrogen collec 

 tor, and having a strong tap-root that penetrates deeply into 

 the subsoil, it collects much of its . mineral food from the 

 layer of earth beneath the surface soil. It does not get the 

 bulk of its food material from the surface through a great 

 inas.s of fibrous roots, as is the case with corn. 



Like clover, and other leguminous plants having bacteriii, 

 nodules upon the roots, the ground nut plant is a greedy collector 

 of nitrogen from the atmosphere, either above or within the 

 soil, and hence may be utilized, like clover, in restoring 

 fertility to the soil. The root of this plant, in shape and 

 mode of growth, resembles the branching of an oak tree, witli 

 a main root or stem that penetrates deeply. Hence the 

 plant is a good drought resisier. It d<ies not send out lateral 

 roots far into the surface soil, like Indian corn, hence ferti- 

 lizers are best iilaci^d under the plant in the row, i-athci- than 

 broadcast. 



(iround nuts aie of sp.'rial value for growth as green 

 manure. Pound for pound, rotted, the vines are fully 

 equal in value as a fertilizer to the best stable manure. 

 Wherever ground nuts are picked otf in the, field, and the vines 

 and debris are left to decay, the corn or other crojj grown 

 upon the spot in the following year will invariably show- 

 great i mprovement. 



The domestic uses of the crop are very important if 

 ])i'operly utilized. As a feed and fattener of stock and poultry, 

 ground nuts are worth more, acre for acre, than field peas 

 or corn. They not only yield more food and more fattening 

 material to the animals, but the ficnetit to the soil arising 

 from the decay of the vines and roots is greater. Wheiever 

 pigs, turkeys, ducks, geese nr hens are rai.sed and fattened 

 for the market, this crop should be grown for consumption 

 upon the land. There is no better fattening agent. When 

 the crop is fed at home all the labour and cost of harvesting 

 and selling the crop is obviated, and the farmer gets more 

 per pound for the nuts thus converted into meat, than he 

 could get foi- them after the most careful harvesting and 

 marketing. Further, by this means niaiuire of high fertiliz- 

 ing value is economically producid. 



In regard to feeding value, ground nut kernels have an 

 average of 29 per cent, protein, 49 per cent, fat, and 14 ]ier 

 cent, carbohydrates in the dry material. Not only is the 

 kernel part high in feeding value, but the viijes also are very 

 nutritious as a stock food. A loamy soil of a sandy nature, 

 that is light and poious, produces the most remunerative 

 crop. However. ]irai'tically any kind of soil that is ojicn 



and friable and that can be kept so, jirovidcd there is liuje 

 and mineral elements, will do for the plant. 



The yield of gnamd nuts per acre varies from 25bushelsto 

 1(_)0, and occasionally as high as 1.50 bushels. The highest 

 yield recorded by the Arkansas station is 1430 bushels. 

 This yield was secured fi-oni the S))anish variety, and on 

 highly fertile soil. Tlie highest yields secured at Fayetteville 

 were obtained in 1902, when the Virginia White yielded 

 113'6 bushels ])er acre, and Spanish yielded 109'9 bushels 

 per acre, on soil (jf oidy ordinary fertilit_y, and without 

 fertilization other than the jjloughing-under of the stubble 

 from a heavy crop of cow peas. This soil was a niixtui'c 

 of calcareous and siliceous formations, adnurably suited to 

 the requirements of the ground nut plants. 



CABBAGE GROWING IN ST LUCIA. 



For some years past cabbage growing has been 

 carried on, on an experimental scale, at the Botanic 

 Station, St. Lucia, and now it is reported that the ctdti- 

 vation of the crop is being undertaken by several 

 growers in the island. This vegetable should certainly 

 find a ready market, and provided the right varieties 

 are tried, success would probably attend efforts made 

 to extend cabbage cidtivation in other islands of the 

 West Indies. 



The report, for 1906-7, on the Botatic Station, 

 St. Lucia, gives the following particulars in reference 

 to the cabbage experiments : — 



This year, the cabUage plot occupied ^ acre. The land 

 received manure at the rate of about 16 tons per acre. The 

 plants were put out on December 21, and the cutting of the 

 crop lasted from the middle of February to late in April. 

 The crop consisted fif about 1,200 heads, averaging in weight 

 3'4 lb. each. The varieties grown were ' Succession ' and 

 'Autumn King,' and they have now been tested at the station 

 for six years in succession, and have always given satisfac- 

 tory results. 



The land tor cabbages should be heavily manured and 

 forked early in November, and about the same time the seed 

 should l)e .sown in boxes or seed-beds. When the seedlings 

 have formed three leaves they may be transplanted into other 

 beds of rich .soil, imd by the first week in December they should 

 be strong enough to be planted out in the field. With favour- 

 able weather and good tillage, the 'Succession' should be 

 fit for cutting in about twelve weeks from .sowing, and the 

 'AutuuHi King,' from two to three weeks later. 



The distribution of seeds of these varieties from tlir 

 Botanic Station, [iractically at cost i)rice, and the sale of 

 produce from the Experiment Station, have done nuich to 

 make this vegetable popular. Supplies of well-grown ealilia- 

 ges are now fre(|uently to be seen in the local market in 

 season, whereas a fe\v years ago stumps carrying a few loose 

 leaves reiire.sented this vegetable, and imported supplies were 

 retailed at 4'/. iiei- It). 



Para Rubber Seed. Para rubber seeds, direct from 

 the East, can be obtained on order from Mr. ( '. ( 'urtis. 

 Laurel House, Barnstaple, England, and formerly Superin- 

 tendent of the Ooverinnent Forests, Fenang. Orders should 

 be sent by the end of July in time for the autumn crop. 

 which ripens from September to November. For less tlian 

 1,000 seeds the price is H.<. per 100 ; over 1,000 but less than 

 5,000, £3 per 1,000; over 5,000 but le.ss than 20,000, 

 £2 15.V. per 1,000 ; over 20,000, i;2 lO.v. per 1,000. 



