MISCELLANEOUS CROPS 617 



soil will be sufficient for the growing of all varieties of peanuts. Sub- 

 soiling may prove beneficial on soils having insufficient drainage. 



Preparation for Planting. When the land is plowed but a short 

 time before planting it should be harrowed within a few hours after 

 plowing, in order to prevent loss by moisture. On loose, sandy soils 

 that are reasonably free from weeds or grass it is often possible to dis- 

 pense with the regular plowing and cut the land with a disk harrow 

 or disk plow. This implement both cuts and turns the soil, leaving 

 it in fine condition, so that it is readily prepared for planting. 



Where plowing is necessary in order to turn under sod, clover, 

 or weeds, a harrow made for smoothing and pulverizing the soil after- 

 wards is superior to the ordinary smoothing harrow in that it turns, 

 crushes, and levels the soil in one operation. By means of a lever 

 the cutting Wades can be set to any depth, and the weight of a boy 

 or light man upon the seat is sufficient to secure good work. If the 

 soil is very loose it may be necessary to roll or drag thoroughly be- 

 fore planting. 



Under ordinary circumstances level culture should be practiced, 

 but where the drainage is poor it may be advisable to throw up 

 slight ridges upon which to plant peanuts; this is especially desirable 

 during a season of excessive rainfall. When ready for planting, the 

 soil should be in the same general condition as that prepared for a 

 crop of snap or bunch beans. Thorough preparation of the soil is 



Erofitable for all crops, and especially for peanuts. If the soil can be 

 arrowed once a week for three or four weeks before planting, most 

 of the weeds that would otherwise injure the crop will be destroyed. 

 Fertilizers and Preparatory Crops. Peanuts should be grown in 

 rotation with other crops rather than as a specialty. The cropping 

 system will depend somewhat upon the area of other crops grown, but 

 the arrangement should be such that the land will be planted to pea- 

 nuts one year in each three or four. A good rotation is corn or cotton 

 the first year with cowpeas, crimson clover, or bur clover planted be- 

 tween the rows at the time of the last cultivation ; the next season 

 plow under the cover crop and plant the land to peanuts ; as soon as 

 the peanuts are harvested sow the land with rye and use as a winter 

 pasture ; plow under the rye during the springtime and plant cow- 

 peas, using the peas as a hog pasture during the autumn ; then return 

 to corn or cotton the following year. In order to get the greatest ben- 

 efit from a crop of crimson or bur clover it should remain on the land 

 in the spring until a heavy growth has been made. It is not desirable 

 to plant peanuts immediately after turning under a heavy growth of 

 clover, and planting should be deferred until the land has nad suffi- 

 cient time to settle and the green manure to decay partially, or a rota- 

 tion should be followed in which the peanuts do not come upon the 

 land until the following year. 



In the Gulf Coast States the rotation may consist of corn and 

 cowpeas, followed by winter oats. The oats will ripen in June or early 

 in July, in time to grow a crop of Spanish peanuts. The next season, 

 plant cotton and sow crimson or bur clover at the time of the final 



