PEANUT 



PEANUT 



515 



grown extensively and known as the Carolina, 

 which presents also the running and the bush types 

 of plant. The nuts are of smaller size than the Vir- 

 ginia but not so small as the Spanish. The Spanish 

 nuts are small and of the bush type of plant 

 and yield more than any other variety. (Fig. 737.) 

 For agricultural purposes and for the production 

 of forage the bush habit is a very decided 

 advantage, as it can be more closely planted. 

 In Tennessee, two or three varieties of nuts 

 have been developed, one of which is worthy 

 of mention, in that it produces a kernel 

 carrying a very red skin which renders' it 

 especially attractive. This is known as the 

 Tennessee Eed, but, is not generally recog- 

 nized as a distinct variety or catalogued by 

 seedsmen. 



Culture. 



Seeds. — One of the most important points 

 in connection with the cultivation of pea- 

 nuts is the proper selection of seed. Only 

 seed from vigorous, productive plants should 

 be planted. Those persons who give special 

 attention to this point are liberally rewarded 

 for their attention. The result of planting a 

 miscellaneous collection of seed is an indif- 

 ferent stand and a corresponding yield. 



While the general practice is to employ 

 shelled nuts for planting, in some instances 

 Spanish nuts, and the larger varieties as well, 

 are planted in the hulls ; but a less uniform 

 stand of plants is secured when this practice 

 is followed. The more perfect stand of 

 vines resulting from the use of shelled nuts 

 is sufficient to warrant the expense and trouble 

 of shelling. This work should be done very care- 

 fully, so as not to crack the kernels or to break the 

 thin skin which covers them. The work of shelling 

 is most satisfactorily done by hand, but in recent 

 years a considerable quantity of the seed, of the 

 Spanish variety particularly, is secured from the 

 factories where it is shelled by machinery. To 

 facilitate the work of hand-shelling, a simple device 

 called the "peanut popper" is used. This consists 

 of a piece of tough hickory or oak bent into the 

 form of a "miniature pair of tongs. 



Soil. — With the exception of low wet soils the 

 peanut will thrive on any good agricultural land. 

 In order to produce high-grade peanuts for market, 

 however, only soil which is of a 'light color and 

 carrying a high percentage of sand is suited for 

 the work. Heavy land of a dark color, impregnated 

 with iron, is likely to produce stained nuts which 

 do not command so high a market price as do clear- 

 shelled nuts. For agricultural purposes, however, 

 the color of the shell is of no importance and in 

 some instances the largest yields of nuts have been 

 obtained from soils of a rather heavy and some- 

 what retentive nature, soils carrying a considerable 

 percentage of clay. In addition to the light gray 

 soils already mentioned, chocolate soils, which are 

 more or less abundant in certain parts of Virginia, 

 are considered to be well adapted to the peanut. 

 It is not advisable to use the same land year after 



year, but the crop fits well into a rotation scheme. 

 It is a good preparatory crop for corn. 



Preparation of the land. — The general prepara- 

 tion of the soil for the cultivation of peanuts is 

 the same as that for any other tilled crop. The 

 land should be plowed moderately deep, and if 

 clean, as the result of a previous tilled crop, the 



Pig. 737. Single plant of Spanisli peanut. Texas. 



breaking of the soil may be deferred until spring. 

 If, however, there is considerable vegetable matter 

 on the land, it is advisable to plow it in the fall and 

 to rework the surface in the spring with a disk- 

 harrow or some type of soil-stirring implement 

 which does not reverse the soil as does the plow. 

 A preparatory tilled crop is a decided advantage, 

 as it helps to rid the land of grass and annoying 

 weeds. 



Fertilizers. — Land which is moderately clean is 

 benefited by a light application of lime, ten to 

 twelve bushels to the acre, and that which is some- 

 what weedy or grassy should have a more liberal 

 dressing, say fifteen to twenty-five bushels to the 

 acre. After the-land has been tilled and limed, it is 

 customary to lay it off in rows two and one-half 

 feet apart, using a turning plow to open a furrow 

 in which is scattered the fertilizer to be used on 

 the crop, after which the cultivator or weeder is 

 run over the area to incorporate the fertilizer with 

 the soil. 



If stable manure is to be employed on the area 

 to be devoted to peanut-culture it should be thor- 

 oughly rotted, spread on the field in the fall 

 previous to planting the crop and plowed under. 

 It is not advisable to use fresh manure on the land 

 immediately before planting. In addition to manur- 

 ing and liming the land in the spring, a dressing of 

 plaster is given at the rate of 250 pounds to the 

 acre about the time the plants come into bloom. 



