195 
when the shelled seeds have to be kept for some little time before 
sowing, to keep them in small bags or baskets, lest they heat and 
lose all power of growing 
seeds are set by te nd on the ridge, a bushel toa bushel 
ac he ridges 24-3 feet apart, and, e ) 
plough has prepare them, an ingeniously sim le Pee 
known as the “dotter” is run al each pair of ridge 
ong 
before the hands, marking by means of spikes on its wheels the 
with the foot. Within seven to ten days from planting the 
rise a appears at the surface, and “omegp any spots where ‘failure 
to germinate has ate emg = reso _ The og workings are 
The crop is sown in May, or at times late in April or in June 
rata begins in July and lasts a month. The plant can siatd 
a good deal of dry weather. 
Harvesting is commenced in the end of September and continued 
through October. A plough with a narrow mould-board is run 
along each side of the rows and the soil round the plants loosened. 
ef 
stakes into small shocks, under, and often also over, which is laid 
a board as protection from the’ moisture ‘of the svil or from rain. 
Thus left the pods are cured in theair. The last process is to pick 
by gra 
also exist factories which buy the pea-nuts, clean and grade 
them, and sell them again. In doing this “ pops,” or empty pods, 
are removed. Such empty pods are said to be most abundant 
2+ peiaeene a gh a lack of calcareous food in the soil, or as an effect 
of dry w 
Pods which remain in the soil are picked out as far as possible 
on ploughing the land, and hogs turned on to grub out and feed 
on what is left, lest the plant “tina a tiresome weed in the next 
crop. e hay, too, is saved in as good condition as may be fora 
food for animals. 
the ridge system is redken and planting done on the flat. As is 
us 
rows varied with the variety chosen and the fertility of the earth. 
Quite recently a little attention has been directed to the culture 
on irrigated lands (see Bulletin, Florida Agricultural Station, 26, 
1899, p. 26), but the results are not to han 
n land new to pea-nuts the crop is usually aoa and the 
ridges are at least three feet apart. After w years under 
ea-nuts the growth becomes less vigorous, se the rows may 
p 
hardly meet at a distance of 2} feet 
striking contrast to this is the ‘custom in Gambia to sow the 
rows a foot apart. Here the land is ploughed and the seed dibbled 
