1576 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



of peanuts. A mixture which contains 

 from two to four per cent of available 

 nitrogen, five to seven per cent of avail- 

 able phosphoric acid, and six to ten per 

 cent of potash is desirable; this should 

 be applied at the rate of from 200 to 

 1,000 pounds to the acre, according to the 

 needs of the land. Most growers follow 

 the practice of scattering the fertilizer 

 in a narrow strip where the row is to be 

 planted, but for the general good of the 

 land it is a better plan to sow or drill the 

 fertilizer broadcast. In all cases it is im- 

 portant that the fertilizer be thoroughly 

 mixed with the soil. 



Importance of Lime in tlie Soil 



In order to insure the proper filling 

 and ripening of the pods, peanuts require 

 an abundance of lime in the soil. Where 

 the soil is of a calcareous nature, con- 

 taining limestone, shells, or lime in its 

 more active form, it may be necessary 

 to make a regular application, but on 

 soils that are deficient in lime or in- 

 clined to be in the least sour, from 1,000 

 to 2,000 pounds of fresh-burned lime 

 should be applied to an acre every four 

 or five years. The lime should not be put 

 on at the same time as the commercial 

 fertilizers, but rather during the previous 

 autumn, or at the time of plowing the 

 land. Wood ashes are desirable as a fer- 

 tilizer for peanuts, as they contain both 

 potash and lime. Unleached wood ashes 

 may be applied broadcast at the rate of 

 1,000 to 1,200 pounds, 25 to 30 bushels to 

 the acre. 



The presence on the land of certain 

 weeds, such as the common sorrel and 

 the sedges (which have three-cornered 

 stems), indicates sourness and insufficient 

 drainage; to correct this an application 

 of lime will be necessary in addition to 

 ditching or tile draining. Lime should be 

 used on land that is to be planted to pea- 

 nuts, unless it is definitely known that 

 there is an abundance of it already pres- 

 ent. 



The Peanut as a IVitrogen Gatherer 



The peanut plant, in common with 

 other leguminous plants, has the power 

 of collecting the free nitrogen of the at- 

 mosphere and storing it in little nodules 



upon its roots. For this reason the pea- 

 nut is one of the more desirable of our 

 soil-renovating and soil-improving plants. 

 It should be borne in mind, however, that 

 in order to benefit the soil the nitro- 



Fig. 1. Roots of Peanut Vine, Showin.? the 

 Value of This Plant as a Nitrogen Gatherer. 

 The nodules on the roots are formed by the 

 bacteria which collect the nitrogen. 



gen so gathered should not be removed, 

 but that the main portion of the roots 

 should be left in the soil. Fig. 1 shows 

 the root of a peanut plant which is abun- 

 dantly covered with the nitrogen-storing 

 nodules. 



The Seed and Its Selection 

 Importance of Planting Good Seed 



A good grade of seed is just as impor- 

 tant with the peanut as with corn, wheat, 

 or any other crop. There is perhaps no 

 other farm crop except corn that is so 

 greatly influenced by the character of seed 

 planted as the peanut. The very best 

 peanuts of the previous season's crop 

 should be selected for seed, and of these 

 only the most mature and perfect peas 

 should be used. Seed should be saved 

 only from well-ripened and mature plants 

 and should be properly cured and kept 

 dry during the winter months. Good 

 seed produces a more even stand of plants, 

 which in itself returns a greater yield. 



