MISCELLANEOUS CROPS 625 



eral years, especially in the districts where the Spanish variety is ex- 

 tensively grown. The principal objection to all the cylinder machines 

 is the tendency to break the pods and both shell and injure the peas. 

 By running the cylinder quite slowly, say at 400 revolutions a min- 

 ute, and feeding properly it is possible to thrash peanuts by using a 

 cylinder machine with a very small percentage of loss from breakage. 

 Pods that are merely cracked or that have what the growers term 

 oyster mouths will not keep for a long period but become rancid or are 

 injured by small insects while in storage. 



There are machines in use which work upon an entirely different 

 principle from the cylinder machines and which do not break or 

 injure the pods. In these machines the picking is done by dragging 

 the vines over a horizontal wire mesh, and at the same time 'brushes 

 act on the lower side of the wire screen to remove the nuts. Very 

 little power is required to operate these machines, two complete outfits 

 being run at once by an 8-horsepower gasoline engine. The capacity 

 of these machines is from 250 to 500 bushels a day. In addition to 

 removing the pods from the vines the machine has the usual cleaning 

 arrangements and a device for removing the small stems from the 

 pods, delivering them in a condition suitable for the cleaning factory. 



Care of Peanuts After Picking. At no time after the curing pro- 

 cess should the peanut pods be exposed to water, or even dampness, as 

 the shells invariably become darkened and discolored by the addition 

 of moisture. When properly cured the shells will be covered with a 

 fine, dry dust and where this dust becomes moistened it adheres and 

 forms a brownish spot. If the peanuts show the least trace of damp- 

 ness after their removal from tne vines, they should be spread on a 

 floor or stored in a well-ventilated building until thoroughly dry. 

 Many of the larger growers have provided narrow cribs similar to 

 those employed for the storage of corn, and the peanuts are kept in 

 bulk until sold. When the pods are thoroughly dry they may be 

 put into bags as they come from the machine, and either hauled 

 direct to the cleaning factory or stored in small lots. 



Preparation of Peanuts for Market. As the peanuts come from 

 the hands of the pickers or the thrasher they contain considerable 

 rubbish and have more or less soil adhering to the pods. The extent 

 to which the pods must be cleaned and graded will depend upon the 

 use to which they are to be put; if for vending purposes they will 

 require a factory process, but if for shelled nuts very little work will 

 be necessary to prepare them for the sheller. Under the present status 

 and extent of the peanut industry the cleaning factory has become an 

 important factor, and the interests of the grower and cleaner are cor- 

 relative and should be cooperative. Where Spanish peanuts are 

 grown on an extensive scale it may be feasible for the farmer to own 

 and operate a small shelling and cleaning outfit. In the case of the 

 large-podded varieties several grades are made from one class of stock, 

 requiring an extensive, although simple, equipment and the handling 

 of large quantities of nuts in order to make the enterprise profitable. 



Cleaned Vines as Stock Feed. The peanut vine or straw from 

 which the nuts have been removed is of considerable value for feed- 



