PICKING AND STORING 



445 



Curing the Peanuts. Peanuts cure rather slowly,, the process 

 taking from four to six weeks. It is the custom to set up stakes 

 about seven feet high, either in the field or in the stackyard. The 

 stakes are usually sharpened at both ends and set firmly in the 

 ground. Usually one or two cross-pieces are nailed near the ground 

 to keep the peanuts from the soil and provide circulation of air. The 

 peanut vines are then stacked about the pole with the pods inside, 

 leaving as much air space as possible next to the pole. A few vines 



FIG. 191. Method of shocking peanut crop, over a stake. 



are, from time to time, thrown over the pole, in order to bind the 

 shock together. The shock should be narrow, not more than four 

 feet in diameter, and well capped to shed rain. The shocking should 

 take place not more than twenty-four hours after lifting, as the pods 

 will shrivel up if exposed too long. 



Picking and Storing. When the pods have been well cured, 

 they are ready to be picked. Picking should always take place dur- 

 ing dry weather, as the least moisture coming in contact with the 

 pods will discolor them. In the past the pods have been generally 



