VoL. LXXVI. 
NEW YORK, JULY 14, 1917. 
No. 44.1S. 
How We Grow Peanuts in Old Virginia 
Method of Handling an Important Crop 
IGII PRICES.—Virginia is no doubt the great¬ 
est peanut-growing State in the Union. The 
crop of 1916 was worth more than .$8,000,000, due 
to exceedingly high prices. The first of June they 
reached the high mark of $2.40 per bushel, which 
was the higest price on record for the Spanish va- 
rietj\ Virginia-grown peanuts are of a superior quali¬ 
ty to those grown in other States, therefore demand 
a better price. The largest peanut factories in the 
Avorld are located in this State, and their products 
are shipped the world over. Due to high prices, 
there is little doubt that a far larger acreage was 
seeded this season than ever before. The price at 
this writing is $2.20 per l)ushel. and from every 
indication peanuts will sell equally as well from 
sort to l)e thoroughly matured. The “Spanish” also 
does well on a light sandy soil, but a much heavier 
pea can be grown on a moderately stiff soil. Soils 
inclined to be wet, or with poor drainage, are not 
suit:' lie for the production of either variety. 
CULTIVATION.—Land intended to be cultivated 
in peanhts where corn or grain was grown the past 
year, or land that has a thick undergrowth of 
weeds and grass, should be broken early in the 
Winter, or as soon after Christmas as possible. By 
so doing all the vegetable matter turned under will 
be well-rotted by Spring or planting time. At 
planting time this land will not necessarily require 
replowing if we can catch the soil in proper condi¬ 
tion and use the disk harrow to cut it both ways 
about five inches deep. This will do much better 
work than the turn-plow, provided we can strike 
the soil in proper conditions. Laiid when put in 
nitrogen in the fertilizer used. Too much nitrogen 
has a tendency to produce large vine growth and 
fewer nuts. A mixture of 200 pounds of acid phos¬ 
phate and about 40 pounds of potash, per acre, will 
make a fine fertilizer. 
SEED AND PLANTING.—As with other crops, 
good seed is of prime importance, and nothing but 
the best should be selected. They should be shelled 
by hand, if possible, although a good many farmers 
now use a machine for this work. But in this way. 
too many are cracked and split, which are worth- 
les.s, and the germs of a good many others are in¬ 
jured to a large extent. The proper time for plant¬ 
ing the Virginia variety is from the I.5th of May 
to .Tune 1st, provided the weather is suitable. Do 
not plant until all indications of cold weather arc 
past, and the soil becomes thoroughly warm, as 
this variety will surely rot if the weather is cool 
Harvesting Peanuts in a Virginia Field. Fig. 354 
January, 1918, up to planting time. They may not 
.sell so well before Christmas. It is said that the 
present crop, or that of 1916, will be entirely cleaned 
up long before the new crop comes in, which is a 
very good sign of high prices. 
PROPER SOILS.—I find that the soil best adapt¬ 
ed to the “Virginia” or running variety is of a 
medium light, sandy, loamy nature. This variety 
should never be cultivated on anything but a light 
soil, as it IS always sold more or less by the ap¬ 
pearance of the hull. A bright hull is always far 
preferable to a brown or dark one. That is one 
of the principal reasons why this variety should 
never be grown on a heavy stiff soil, because soil 
of this nature has a tendency to make the hull 
brown, dark or specked. The appearance of the 
hull does not affect the sale of the “Spanish” va¬ 
riety in the least, as it is only necessary for this 
condition for planting by the use of the disk and 
heavy iron drag I find holds moisture better in a 
droughty season than when replowed, therefore 
crops thrive and grow off much more rapidly. 
There is no better implement for soil preparation 
than the disk harrow when used both ways, and 
afterwards a good iron drag for pulverizing and 
leveling. 
USE OF LIME.—Lime is essential for the produc¬ 
tion of the Virginia variety, especially if the .soil is 
of an acid nature. On high land from 500 to 600 
pounds per acre is sufficient, depending upon the 
amount of acidity the soil contains. On low land, 
more is often advisable. Good results are also 
found by the use of land plaster, say from 300 to 
500 pounds per acre, distributed along the rows in 
July. The peanut is more or less of a nitrogen 
gathering plant, therefore does not require so much 
and the soil wet. As a rule, about one-half bushel 
of shelled “Virginia” peanuts are required to plant 
an acre 12 to 15 inches apart in the row, and from 
one to two kernels in a hill. For this variety the 
rows should be 3^2 feet apart, and ridged up by 
throwing two light furrows together wtih a one- 
horse turn-plow, using the half moldboard. The 
above is the old-fashioned way, but we no.w have 
a machine for doing this work, which sows the 
fertilizer in the row if desired, and also ridges up 
the row at the same time. Then the peanut plant¬ 
er, which is now quite well known, comes along 
right on top of this ridge. The same method is 
used in planting the .Spanish variety. The only 
difference is that they should not be planted until 
the very last of May and from then on up to July 
1st, though, in some sections they maj" be planted 
as late as July 15th with good results. We planted 
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