164 CHAPTER X 



Soil Preparation. — The seed-bed should be deep and well 

 pulverised. As peanuts cannot be closely cultivated after 

 flowering, the}^ should be planted only on lands free from weeds, 

 and in rotations they should, therefore, follow such crops as 

 maize, potatoes and cotton. It is better to use kraal manure 

 on the preceding crops, as too much nitrogen retards the for- 

 mation of nuts. Phosphatic manures such as bonedust or super- 

 phosphate, at the rate of 150 to 250 pounds per acre, may be 

 used to advantage on South African soils, and should be applied 

 at the time of planting. 



Planting. — Erect varieties like Spanish should be planted 

 in rows 30 inches apart, while in the spreading varieties the 

 rows should be 36 inches apart. The seed should be planted 

 6 to 12 inches in the row, depending on the fertility of the soil, 

 the variety, moisture limitations and so forth. Whole or 

 shelled seed may be planted to a depth of 1 to 3 inches ; the 

 general practice is to use shelled seed, as it is more economical 

 and gives a more uniform germination and stand. During dry 

 weather pods decompose very slowly, consequently germination 

 is often delayed and irregular. About two bushels of pods or 

 thirty to forty pounds of shelled seed are required per acre. 

 Care should be exercised in shelling the nuts for seed, since the 

 vitality is easily impaired when the seed coat is damaged. A 

 seed drill, planting one row at a time, called the " Planters' 

 Friend," is in most common use. A large portion of the crop 

 at present is planted by hand, and the maize planter with 

 special plates is also employed. 



November seems to be the best month for planting, but in 

 some localities where the growing season is a long one, planting 

 may be continued until the end of January. 



Cultivation. — The crop should not be harrowed as in the 

 case of young maize. The ordinary maize cultivators should be 

 used, and as the season advances and the plants commence to 

 flower, cultivation should be so arranged that the soil is banked 

 up against the plants. Broad tooth cultivators will be found 

 best for banking, although a number of farmers employ a double 

 mouldboard plough for this purpose. Once pegging has com- 

 menced, cultivation must be restricted to the centre of the space 

 between the rows, and the plants must not be disturbed. 



Harvesting. — It is a somewhat difficult crop to harvest, 

 and for this reason is largely restricted to areas having plenty 

 of cheap labour. The plants should be lifted just before the 

 pods about the base of the plant become detached. At this 



