THE CULTIVATION OF PEANUTS 



401 



513. Cultivation. Peanuts grow best in a fairly fertile 

 sandy loam soil which has been well prepared. They should 

 be planted in rows 30 to 36 inches apart after the soil is 

 thoroughly warm in the spring, generally after corn has been 

 planted. The seed of the larger varieties is usually shelled 

 before planting, but the Spanish peanuts are often planted 



Fig. 124. The Virginia peanut, the type usually grown for the nuts. The 

 Spanish peanut, which produces numerous small nuts, is grown for forage. 



without shelling. The one-row planter is commonly used 

 for planting. The common rate of seeding is 1 peck of 

 shelled Spanish peanuts or 5 pecks in the shell, while 1^ 

 pecks of shelled Virginia peanuts will plant an acre. After 

 the plants are up, frequent shallow cultivation should be 



