CULTURAL PRACTICES 



177 



Table 4. — Two- Year Average Yields of Runner Peanuts Planted on Norfolk 

 Sandy Loam at Different Dates, Auburn, Alabama, 1945-1946" 



« 300 pounds per acre of 0-14-10 applied before planting; rows 30 inches apart; 90 pounds of unslielled 

 seed planted per acre. 



Alabama, the highest yield was obtained from the April 5 planting. The 

 results are reported in table 4. 



Runner peanuts were planted at 10-day intervals from April 5 to June 

 15, 1939-1946, inclusive, in a test at Prattville, Alabama. The average 

 yields for all years are shown in table 5. Highest yields were obtained 

 from planting on April 5. For some unexplainable reason, peanuts planted 

 on April 15 produced less yield than those planted on either April 5 or 

 25 in 6 of the 8 years that the experiment was conducted. 



Method oj Planting 



Peanuts are usually planted in a shallow furrow and are covered 

 to a depth of 1J4 to 3 inches on light soils and 1 to 2 inches on heavier 

 soils. Under dry conditions, still deeper covering is recommended. After 

 the seed are covered, the top of the seedbed is slightly below ground 

 level. This allows early cultivation with a weeder or rotary hoe without 

 danger of injury to young plants. 



Table 5. — Average Yield of Runner Peanuts Planted at Different Dates, 

 Prattville Experiment Field, Prattville, Alabama, 1939-1946" 



Date of platting 



Yield marketable 

 peanuts per acre 



Pounds 



April 5. 

 April IS 

 April 25 

 May 6. 

 May 17, 

 May 25 , 

 June 5. 

 June 15. 



1,570 

 1,417 

 1,498 

 1,346 

 1,260 

 1,166 

 1,051" 

 742'' 



» Rows 36 inches apart; hills spaced uniformly each year but varied from 8 to 12 inches from year to 

 year. No fertilizers applied to peanuts. 

 b 7-year average; not included in 1939. 



