1574 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OP PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



mineral are likely to stain the sliells of 

 the peanuts, tlius rendering them less de- 

 sirable for the trade. For agricultural 

 purposes, however, the staining of the 

 shells is of little consequence, as it does 

 not materially injure them for stock feed- 

 ing. Iji fact, soils that contain consider- 

 able clay and lime or are loamy in char- 

 acter produce heavier nuts and sometimes 

 greater yields than do lighter soils. As a 

 rule the peanut does best on a sandy loam 

 with a well-drained clay subsoil, but the 

 crop may be grown under a wide range of 

 soil conditions. Soils that become hard or 

 compact are not adapted to peanut grow- 

 ing, owing to the inability of the pod 

 stems or "pegs" to penetrate the surface. 

 Soils that are poorly drained or sour 

 are not suited to the peanut. The ideal 

 soil consists of a sandy loam containing 

 a reasonable amount of humus, or vege- 

 table matter, together with an abundance 

 of lime. A soil having a suitable me- 

 chanical consistency is the first essential. 

 Soils lacking in fertility can be improved 

 by a proper cropping system or by the 

 judicious use of manures. 



The cultivation of the peanut for com* 

 mercial purposes has until recently been 

 confined chiefly to areas in Virginia, Ten- 

 nessee, the Carolinas and Georgia. Dur- 

 ing recent years the industry has become 

 established throughout the South Atlantic 

 states and westward to and including Cal- 

 ifornia, This area is one within which 

 the frost-free season is comparatively 

 long, and much of the territory has a 

 soil containing a large percentage of sand 

 or alluvial matter, making it easily cul- 

 tivated and well adapted to the peculiar 

 habits of the peanut plant. There are un- 

 doubtedly many sections outside of this 

 area that can be profitably devoted to the 

 production of peanuts for stock food, and 

 a few regions where they can be grown 

 commercially. 



The climatic requirements of the pea- 

 nut are a long season without frost, a 

 comparatively light rainfall during the 

 growing period, abundant sunshine, and a 

 high temperature. The peanut is slight- 

 ly more susceptible to injury from frost 

 than the common bunch bean and requires 



a somewhat longer season for its de- 

 velopment. The Spanish peanut will ma- 

 ture in 90 days under the most favorable 

 conditions, but 110 to 120 days should 

 be allowed. The large-podded varieties 

 require a longer period for best results. 



Preparation of the Soil 



Time for Plowing 



The time for plowing the land to be 

 planted to peanuts will depend somewhat 

 upon its previous treatment. If the land 

 has been in corn the season before and 

 a crop of crimson clover was sown at the 

 time the corn was laid by, it will be 

 desirable to plow the land just before the 

 clover blooms in order to get the great- 

 est benefit from it as a green manure. If 

 the land is in sod it will be desirable to 

 break it during autumn or winter. If 

 there is no crop on the land the plowing 

 need only be done in time for planting, or 

 rather but a short time before planting, in 

 order to allow the soil to settle. Where 

 a crop of crimson clover is turned un- 

 der, the soil should be thoroughly har- 

 rowed and rolled in order to obtain a 

 compact seed bed and to retain moisture. 



Depth of Plowing 



The depth of plowing will depend some- 

 what upon the character and depth of the 

 surface soil. On sandy soils that are un- 

 derlaid by a clay subsoil it would be un- 

 wise to bring a very great quantity of the 

 subsoil to the surface. If the surface soil 

 is not of sufficient depth, it should be in- 

 creased by plowing a very little deeper 

 each year until a sufficient depth is 

 reached. As a general rule the depth of 

 plowing for peanuts should not be quite 

 so great as that for corn in the same 

 locality- From five to seven inches of 

 loose soil will be sufficient for the grow- 

 ing of all varieties of peanuts. Subsoil- 

 ing may prove beneficial on soils having 

 insufficient drainage. 



Preparation for Planting 



When the land is plowed but a short 

 time before planting it should be har- 

 rowed within a few hours after plowing, 

 in order to prevent loss of moisture. On 

 loose, sandy soils that are reasonably free 

 from weeds or grass it is often possible 



