Vegetables with Edible Seeds 239 



Cultivation of peanuts. 



The field is put into thorough tilth before planting, and 

 is kept in good tilth so as not to give the weeds a chance 

 to get the crop under. A week or ten days after the 

 field has been planted, it should be cultivated. It does 

 not matter what kind of implement is used, so long as 

 the surface is kept mellow, and weeds not allowed to 

 grow. In some sections it is better to plant the field in 

 checks. One thing should be kept in mind constantly, 

 that weeds are very difficult to clear out after the vines have 

 begun to bush. In general, level or flat culture will be 

 found better in light sandy soil. Under this form of 

 cultivation, the soil does not dry out as much as with hill 

 culture. A second cultivation is given within ten days 

 or two weeks after the first, the interval being gauged 

 more by the necessity of the case than by the time elapsed. 

 After the second cultivation, the hoe and the fingers may 

 have to be used considerably; the hills have begun to 

 spread so that it is difficult to cultivate up to the plants. 

 Care must be taken not to disturb them as they are pre- 

 paring to produce flower-buds, and any interference is 

 liable to be detrimental to the yield. All grass and 

 weeds coming up in the hill have to be pulled out by 

 hand. The third and fourth cultivations have to be 

 carried on with still greater care than the second; the 

 weedings need more care also, on account of the crop 

 setting at that time. After this, shallow cultivation may 

 be kept up until the vines meet across the row. If the 

 land is quite level, the cultivation should be carried on so 

 that when the plants are " laid by," the rows will stand on 



