196 



THE PEANUT— THE UNPREDICTABLE LEGUME 



inoculated seed treated with Spergon. The per-acre yields in favor of 

 inoculation in the presence of Spergon treatment are : 



2161 pounds of hay 

 1303 pounds of nuts 



Spergon-treated, inoculated, 

 Spergon-treated, uninoculated, 

 Increase from inoculation, 



1825 pounds of hay 

 1170 pounds of nuts 



336 pounds of hay 

 133 pounds of nuts 



CULTIVATION 



First cultivation of peanuts consists of running a weeder or rotary 

 hoe in the same direction as the rows. Successive weedings are made with 

 the rows or diagonally across the rows and are continued until the plants 

 are large enough to be broken by such an implement. The practice of 

 broadcast cultivation is very important in producing peanuts with a 

 minimum of hoeing. A weeder may be operated following a rain 2 to 3 

 days before the soil is sufficiently dry to permit plowing. Thus, weeds 

 may be killed in the seedling stage. 



Sl« ■> -' .;.?*!' 



Figure 2. — Tractor-drawn weeder. 



