378 



FIELD CROPS 



505. Harvesting. When the greater part of the nuts is 

 mature, the crop should be harvested; for, if left longer, the 

 nuts which ripened first are hkely to sprout. The plants are 

 usually dug with a potato digger or are plowed out, though 





Figure _12S. — The \irginia peanut, the type usually grown for the nuts. The 

 Spanish peanut, which produces numerous small nuts, is grown for forage. 



small areas on loose soil can be pulled by hand with little 

 loss. After the vines are pulled, they are left to diy slightly 

 and are then put in small stacks to cure. These stacks are 

 usually built around a framework which admits air to all 

 portions of the stack. The top should be covered to prevent 

 injury from rain, as the market value of the nuts is re- 

 duced if they are discolored. 



After the vines are cured, the nuts are picked off by hand 

 or removed by machinery, and are then cleaned and sorted. 



