THE GROUND-NUT. 



49 



cultivated to a greater depth than 6 inches, but the 

 tilth must be thorough ; deep cultivation adds con- 

 siderably to the cost of harvesting. 



If the soil be carefully selected, little after-cultivation 

 is necessary ; three hoeings before the crop covers the 

 ground are generally sufficient. 



The plants should be so close as to completely cover 

 the ground when full grown, and protect the soil and roots 

 from direct sun ; 15 inches by 15 inches is a suitable 

 distance. 



The quantity of shelled seed required per acre depends 

 on the system of planting, but 30 to 35 Ibs. per acre is 

 ample with a planting distance of 15 inches by 15 inches. 



The proportion of shell to kernels varies, some varieties 

 of nuts give 66 per cent, kernel and 34 per cent, shell, and 

 others up to 80 per cent, kernel and 20 per cent, only of 

 shell. A good ground nut should give, apparently, 48 per 

 cent, to 50 per cent, of oil in the kernels. The following 

 table of yields of dried nuts per acre is given by the 

 Imperial Institute Bulletin : 



The sandy plains in Bida or Kano in Northern Nigeria, 

 according to its able Director of Agriculture, offer an 

 ideal soil for ground-nut production. A yield of over 

 a ton of freshly harvested nuts per acre was being 



