CHAPTER V 



SOIL PROPERTIES, FERTILIZA 

 TION AND MAINTENANCE 

 OF SOIL FERTILITY 



By 

 E. T. YORK, JR. AND W. E. COLWELL^ 



Properties of Soils on Which Peanuts Are Grown 



GENERAL SOIL PROPERTIES 



A soil well adapted to the production of peanuts has often been char- 

 acterized as a well-drained, light-colored, loose, friable, sandy loam, well 

 supplied with calcium and with a moderate amount of organic matter. 

 While such a soil may be considered to be "ideal," peanuts may be grown 

 on soils dififering markedly in physical and chemical characteristics. 



A number of factors other than the yielding capacity of a soil deter- 

 mines its suitability for the production of this crop.fPeanuts are normally 

 grown on light sandy soils not necessarily because these soils produce the 

 highest yields; in fact, there are many indications that better yields 

 may be obtained on some of the heavier-textured soils. The principal 

 reason for growing peanuts on the lighter soils lies in the fact that the 

 crop is more easily harvested and the soil does not adhere to the pods./ 

 Many of the heavier-textured clays and clay loams are more deeply 

 colored and tend to stain the pods to such an extent as to lower the 

 market value of the crop. These factors are of little consequence when 

 the crop is harvested by grazing hogs ; however, it would not be a de- 



lE. T. York is associate professor of agronomy. North Carolina Agricultural Experiment 

 Station, and W. E. Colwell is head. Department of Agronomy, North Carolina State College of 

 Agriculture. 



The authors are indebted to J. F, Reed for his suggestions regarding the arrangement of sub- 

 ject matter to be presented in this chapter and to W. L, Nelson for his constructive criticisms in 

 the preparation of the manuscript. 



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