100 ^ 



making the loss very inconsiderable in harvesting. The flavor of the i 



Spanish nut is very delicate and the kernel does not differ materially in ; 



chemical composition from the Tennessee nut. except in its larger content j 



of water. Many people, however, prefer the larger nuts and so these j 



usually outsell the Spanish peanut, but the Spanish variety is a much j 



surer crop. When the white variety by reason of bad seasons makes a '■ 



comparative failure, the Spanish peanut often makes a large yield and it ^ 



is also more valuable for the feeding of hogs than the white peanuts. It ! 



is said that when it is planted in Tennessee in a few years it grows as i 



large as the Tennessee nut. Extremely warm weather is not necessary | 



for the fruitage of the peanut. Cool weather will cause the pods to form j 



as readily as the hottest weather in July. It requires five months to ma- '■. 



ture the white variety. The Spanish variety will mature in about four \ 



months. I 



The best peanuts are planted early and therefore an early spring is ] 



desirable, with no beating rains, especially if the land is strongly argilla- j 



ceous, for when the ground is baked the delicate young stem cannot pene- j 



trate the hard crust. A bad stand then results, which is scarcely to be j 



remedied by replanting. The regions growing the best nuts for eating j 



are embraced in Virginia, Tennessee and Kentucky. The extreme i 



Southern States grow the peanuts fully as well as the states mentioned, ; 



but they contain so much oil as to impair their flavor and make them i 



more indigestible. On the other hand, when grown in the far South \ 



they are better for fattening purposes, and far better for making peanut 1 



oil, which is now regarded as one of the most valuable of the oil products. | 



Peanuts have been successfully grown in Tennessee for many years in j 

 the counties of Perry, Hickman, Humphreys, Dickson, Lewis and j 

 Wayne, situated in that natural division of the state known as the High- 

 land Rim, and in a few counties in West Tennessee. ! 



THE BEST SOIL~The best soil for the peanut is a light colored '. 



clayey soil, filled with finely-comminuted, cherty, angular gravel, which : 



makes the ground loose and prevents it from baking. The ground should ! 



be well drained and light in color, for it is a singular fact that there is a . 



correlation between the color of the soil and the color of the nut. black ■ 



or deep red soils making a dark colored nut and light or whitish soils a ; 



light-colored nut. The darker soils may, and most frequently do, make i 



a larger yield per acre but the nuts do not command such a good price . 



and are classed in a lower grade. ■ 



Land with much humus is not suited to the growth of peanuts'. The 



soil should be strong but with a small amount of vegetable matter in its ; 



composition. Peanuts, therefore, do not yield well after clover or in I 



freshly cleared lands. In such conditions the amount of vine is excessive : 



and such la'id is best for growing peanut hay, but the ciuantily of good ! 



peanuts is very small. The best results are obtained by planting the ' 

 crops after corn or tobacco or potatoes, or after any crop that requires 



clean cultivation. I 



TIME AND MANNER OF PLANTING— The land for peanuts in I 



Tennessee is usually prepared during the latter part of April after the j 

 danger of frost is passed. It should.be well broken and finely pulverized 



