372 



THE AGRICULTURAL NEWS. 



November "27, 1909, 



WEST INDIAN FRUIT. 



Attontit 



THE G-PCU:nD r.UT 

 n is i.iawn to Farmcis BijJlc'' ii. No. 3.56, 

 of the United States Depart inenr. of Agriculture, 

 which gives a very nsefiil acc3"'r/.u of the ground nut. 

 Some of the information ti.at is contained in the 

 Bulletin is abstracted here: — 



The value of 'Jnn comTercial ground nut crop of the 

 United States for the year 190S was estimated at 

 $l2.0C0,v;00. During r?ent years, the area of production 

 of ground nuts has greatly iiicrea.sed, especially throughout 

 the warmer parts ol t'lC country. The value of tlie ground 

 nut, both 'as a money crop and for feeding on the farm, 

 renders it especially desirable as a [>art nf tlio rotation, 

 wherever conditions suitable to its development e.xisc. 



The soil best suited to the ground nut is one of a sandy, 

 loamy nature, |);eferably light or grayish in coloui-, rather 

 than dark. Soils that are dark, and those carrying a consi- 

 derable percentage of iron or other mineral, are likely to stain 

 the .shells of the ground nuts, thus rendering them less 

 desirable for the trade. For agricultural purposes, however, 

 the staining of the shells is nf little consequence, as it does 

 ■not materially injure tliem for stock-'eeding. In fact, soils 

 that contain considerable clay and lime, nr which are loamy 

 in character, produce heavier nuts, and Muiicliii:es greater 

 yields, than do lighter soils. As a rule, the gr(nuid nut does 

 best on a sandy loam, with a well drained clay sub.'ioil, but 

 the crop may be grown under a wide range of soil conditions. 

 Soils that become hard or cfimpact are not adapted to ground 

 nut growing, owing to the inability of the pod stems to 

 penetrate the surface. Those that are poorly drained or sour 

 are not suited to the giound nut. 'J'he ideal .=oil consists of 

 a sandy loam, containing a reasonable amount of hununs, or 

 vegetable matter, together with an abundance of lime. .V soil 

 having a suitable mechanical consistency is the lirsl essential. 

 Soils lacking in fertility can be improved by a proper cropping 

 system, or by the judiciuus use of nuinures. 



The climatic lequircments of the ground nut are a long 

 season without frost, a comparatively light lainlall dniing the 

 growing period, abundant sunshine, and a high temperature. 

 The Spanish ground nut will mature in ninety days under 

 the most favourable conditions, but 1 U) to 120 days 

 should be allowed. The large-podded varieties require 

 a longer period for best results. 



Ground nuts should be grown in rotation with other 

 croJDS, rather than as a specialty. Tlic cropping .system will 

 depend somewhat upon the area of other ci-o|is grown, but 

 the arrangement should be such that the land will be planted 

 in ground ni>ts one year' in each three or four. Stable or 

 barnyard manure should not be used as a fertilizer the .same 

 year that the land is planted in ground nuts. The use of 



manure has a tendency to cause the plants to produce abnor- 

 mal tops and a large percentage of poorly filled pod.s. The 

 projier time for applying stable manure" is with the crop 

 grown during the jirevious season, thus giving it time to 

 become incor[>orated with the soil and reduced to the proper 

 condition for the ground nut crop. 



In order to ensiu-e the proper fijling and rijienino- of the 

 pods, ground nuts require an abundance of lime in the soil. 

 Where the soil is of a calcareous nature, containing lime- 

 stone, shells, or lime in its more active form, it may not be 

 necessary to make a regular application, but on soils that 

 are deficient in lime, or inclined to be in the least sour, from 

 1,000 lb. to 2,000 lb. of freshly burned lime should be appliid 

 to an acre every four or five years. The ground nut plant, 

 in common with other leguminous plants, has the power 

 (with the aid of certain bacteria) of collecting the 

 free nitrogen of the atmosphere and storing it in° little 

 nodules upon its ' roots. For this reiison, it is one of the 

 more desirable of our soil-renovating and soil-improvinf 

 plants. It should be borne in mind, however, that in ordeT- 

 to benefit the soil, the nitrogen so gathered should not be 

 removed, but that the main portion of the roots should be 

 left in the soil. 



The .seed should not only be .selected from plants that 

 are mature, but from those [u-oducing a large number of 

 mature pods, as well. By doubling the number of well-filled 

 pods on each plant, the yield for each acre will also be 

 doubled. In planting the large-podded varieties it is desirable 

 f(n' several reasons that the seed be shelled. For planting, 

 a common <Iistance between rows is 36 inches but tins 

 varies .somewhat according to the soil and variety. For the 

 Virginia liunncr varietj-, on good soil, the distance between 

 row^s should be at least 30 inches, and 12 inches between the 

 plants in the rows. Virginia Bunch ground nuts may be in 

 tows as close together as 30 inche.s, and 7 to 9 inches ajwrt 

 in the rows. The Spanish and Tennessee Red varieties are 

 planted in rows from 28 to 36 inches apart, and 7 to 9 

 inches apart in the rows, according to the fertility of the soil. 

 On rich soils, where the spread of vines will be great, the 

 maximum distftH^e between rows as well as between plants in 

 the row slnnild he allowed. Cultivation of the ground nut 

 crop should begin as soon as the rows can be followed, ami 

 should continue until the vines begin to occupy the ground. 

 Tlie work of cultivation should be pursued very much as 

 fo.- corn, boans, and all similar crops. Frequent shallow 

 cultivation that will keep the soil loose, and prevent the less 

 of moisture, is essential. Shortly after rains, the surface 

 soil should be stirred, and during dry weather, a dust mulch 

 maintained. After the first cultivation, it will be desirable 

 to-work the soil toward the rows to provide a bed of loose 



