174 THE PEANUT— THE UNPREDICTABLE LEGUME 



lupine or vetch is used, it is plowed under at least 30 days before«peanuts 

 are planted. In case weeds come up on the field, the land is disked to 

 eradicate the weeds. The land is harrowed and dragged immediately 

 before planting. 



There are no data on depth of preparing the soil. Apparently, ex- 

 cessively deep preparation is to be avoided. Most lands should be pre- 

 pared to a depth of from 5 to 7 inches. 



Fertiliser Applications 



Although the subject of peanut fertilization has already been dis- 

 cussed in Chapter V, brief comments are included here. 



Many research workers have found that peanuts following a crop that 

 was well -fertilized with mineral fertilizers do not give increased yields 

 from direct applications. However, it is still a general practice to apply 

 fertilizers in the drill at planting and in some cases as top-dressing 

 materials -later in the season. 



Fertilizers that are used in the drill are applied either to the side and 

 slightly below the seed or well mixed with the soil so that they will not 

 come in contact with the seed and thus reduce the stand. Many research 

 workers recommend that fertilizers be applied 1 to 2 weeks ahead of 

 planting,. 



In some sections it has recently become a common practice to apply 

 fertilizers on the row just as the plants are emerging. This is especially 

 true of potash materials. When this practice is followed the fertilizer is 

 applied when the plants are dry in order to avoid burning. Cultivation 

 with a weeder or rotary hoe should follow immediately so as to remove 

 any fertilizer that may have come in contact with the plants. Batten (2) 

 recommends that only concentrated potash salts be used in the fertilizer 

 application made before planting because the use of a greater volume of 

 the low-grade salts required to obtain the amount of potash needed often 

 causes poor germination. 



Use of gypsum on the foliage of large-type peanuts at blooming 

 time has given outstanding increases in yields in North Carolina and Vir- 

 ginia. Experiments in other States have indicated little or no benefit 

 from this practice when Spanish or the small runner-type peanut is 

 grown. Studies have shown that gypsum is most beneficial if applied 

 when the peanuts begin blooming. Gypsum has usually been dusted on 

 the foliage by hand, but the use of machines for application is increasing. 



Where limestone is applied in the drill before planting, it should be 

 used as a separate treatment from the fertilizers that are applied at this 



