GROUND NUTS. 53 



nuts; or, as they are sometimes called, pea nuts. 

 They are of easy cultivation, and require compara- 

 tively but little attention. Thousands of bushels are 

 imported from the West Indies, and yet they are fre- 

 quently so scarce as to sell at from three to four dol- 

 lars per bushel. They require a warm sandy soil, 

 and there are thousands and thousands of acres in 

 Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and other Middle and 

 Southern States, which do not produce five dollars in 

 value per acre, which might, if cultivated in ground 

 nuts, bring an amount which would astonish the culti- 

 vator. 



Wherever the sweet potato thrives, there also will 

 the ground nut flourish luxuriantly; for both grow best 

 in a light sandy soil. There is one peculiarity attend- 

 ing the cultivation of the ground nut, which is, that 

 the nut comes from the blossom, though it grows like 

 the potato under ground. This is different from any 

 other production with which I am acquainted. 



The ground intended to be planted in ground nuts, 

 should be dug up and perfectly mellowed, without a 

 tree or any other object to cast a shade upon it, for 

 the sun's rays are absolutely necessary. The nuts may 

 be planted somewhat like corn, only not so far apart. 

 Put two or three nuts in a hill, and let the hills be 

 about eighteen inches or two feet apart each way. 

 When the vines run, they will meet and till the ground. 

 They should be planted as early in the Spring as pos- 

 sible, to avoid frost; say in April, or the first of May. 

 5* 



