them as soon as ripe, wash and dry them, and 
roast the same as green coffee. 
Uncue Mark: —In order to make the man¬ 
ner of the peanut’s growth plain to those who 
have never had the pleasure of seeing it grow, 
we give an illustration at Fig. SL, which a 
brief description will make clear to all. The 
flowers, which form in clusters, are yellow 
and inconspicuous. When they wither, the 
ovary, which is situated at the base of a long 
calyx tube, if fertilized, is carried down¬ 
ward by the growth of what appears to 
wish to grow them might do it just as I did, 
omitting some of the scraping unless it be care¬ 
fully done; but all the rest, even to the danc¬ 
ing and clapping of hands, might just as well 
go in. 
Perhaps Uncle Mark will permit me to add 
for the information of the Club, that the pea¬ 
nut (Arachis hypogsea) is a leguminous plant, 
now largely grown in many parts of the 
world, including our own Southern States. 
The fruit is usually eaten roasted, as most 
boys know, and a valuable oil is extracted 
The Youths’ Horticultural Club 
OF THE 
RURAU NEW-YORKER, 
FIFTH REGULAR DISCUSSION. 
Tonic- The Culture of the Peanut-How¬ 
to Plant and Harvest—Peculiarities 
of Growth, etc. 
The Club was called to order, as usual, by 
the Chairman, Uncle Mark. He introduced the 
topic of Peanut Culture, by saying tlrnt, in the 
South, this nut has various names, such as 
Piniars, Goubers, Ground Nuts and Ground 
Peas; botanically it is Arachis hypogma, the 
latter word being derived from two Greek 
words meaning “under” and “ground.” As the 
peanut forms under the surface of the ground 
the significance of the name is apparent. It 
s, as we know, but little cultivated in the 
North, as our seasons arc usually too short for 
the peanut to fully mature; but from Virginia 
southwardit is an important crop. The viues 
as well as the nuts are valuable, as they make 
a good fodder crop for stock. AVhile large 
quantities of peanuts are roasted and eaten, 
their chief use, where they are raised on a 
large scale, is for making an oil resembling 
olive oil, and used for similar purposes. The 
seeds are used also in the manufacture of 
chocolate, it is said. In closing, the chairman 
introduced “ Horticola,” who suggested the 
topic before the Club. 
Horticola :—Since I suggested the subject 
of the Peanut, it will be expected that 1 should 
say something about it, and I will do so with 
the modesty becoming one of the youngest 
members of the Club (in point of time). I do 
not know tliat I can make my remarks more 
interesting to my young associates than by 
simply telliug them the story of my first pea¬ 
nut, and, in fact, my first plant. When I 
was some five or six years old I had an uncle 
who owned a plantation at the South, where 
peauuts were then, and are now, largclygrown, 
At one of his visits to us I asked him a good 
many questions about peanuts, as to whether 
they grew on trees, whether they had to be 
roasted to make them grow, and a good many 
other curious questions that little boys are apt 
to ask, and old people are sometimes puzzled 
to answer. 
Well, he promised to bring me some raw 
ones to grow, and he did so. I was just about 
one of the happiest boys you ever saw. There 
was plenty of sunshine then, and some of it 
seems to linger around me still. 1 know how 
you all feel when Uncle Mark sends you some 
uice seed. Well, ruy uncle’s directions were 
brief, but they were very plain. Tom (that 
was “our man”) was told to dig up my bed in 
fi’om it, which is used as a substitute for olive 
oil, and also for lubricating purposes. The 
plant may be successfully grown in a large 
pot, or a box of rich sandy loam, and some of 
the members of the Club might grow it in this 
way, though it is much easier to grow it in the 
ground. 
Mt n-vif. Fisherr: —You ask us how to raise 
peanuts. I will tell you how I manage. First, 
I get the unbrowned nuts, (they need not be 
shelled,) and plant them in little hills 10 or 
13 inches apart, two inches deep and about 
three nuts to a hill; I do not water them, no 
matter how hot the weather is; they grow 
better in sandy soil than in rich, manured 
ground. I cover the blossoms w ith dirt mak¬ 
ing a little hill where every blossom is. Leave 
them in the ground until after the third or 
fourth frost, then take them up and put them 
in a dry, cool place for a month or two. 
Some peanut-boy will brown them for you for 
a couple of cents. I hope some of the mem¬ 
bers of the Club will write either to the Ru¬ 
ral or directly to me, and tell me about their 
crops iu the Fall. My address is Marion, Ind. 
Quivcy McBride :—As I oneelived in Ten¬ 
nessee, I may be able to tell you how peanuts 
are cultivated there. They are grown the 
same as peas until they blossom out, then they 
are covered by a one horse plow Nothing is 
done to them until they are dug. They are 
then washed and dried ready for the market. 
I now live at Burton, Michigan, and tried 
raising them here a year ago. They were 
The Growth of the Peanut. From Nature—Fig. SI 
planted with the hulls on. and rotted in loss 
than a week. I again planted them with the 
hulls opened at the euds, and about one-half 
of them grew. The third time I was more 
successful. I hulled them, soaked them in 
water a few days, and planted. They grew 
splendidly. I did not cover the blossoms, and 
last of May, putting two or three nuts, with 
shell removed, in a place: rows to be about 30 
inches apart each way. Cultivate thoroughly 
with cultivator and hand-hoe. 
Josie A. Johnson :—As I am only 10, I do 
nob know as much as the older ones about the 
culture of peanuts. Papa bought some raw 
peanuts and planted a few. The season was 
so short but few ripened. The leaves look 
like Oxalis, or clover leaves. I think they 
