Handling the Peanut Crop 
Harvesting and Storing 
DIVERSITY OF USES.—It will be several 
years before we shall see “cheap” peanuts 
again, as there are so many uses for them nowadays; 
such as making peanut butter, peanut oil, for con¬ 
fectionery uses, etc. A large quantity is also con¬ 
sumed by the average person, roasted or in a raw 
state. It is said that peanuts make' the finest grade 
of oil, and the use of it is being an¬ 
nually increased. Peanuts are great 
pork producei’s, as there is no kind 
of food that will fatten or make a 
hog grow off faster than peanuts. 
The vines also make one of the 
finest kinds of liay. So it is to the 
intei’est of every farmer to see that 
the peanut crop is properlj* har¬ 
vested j and saved the present Fall. 
M.V father was the first person to 
plant the “Virginia” variety of pea¬ 
nuts in this section of the State 
(Prince George). Ho shipped his 
first crop to New York, as at that 
time there Avas no sale for them in 
his nearest city (Petersburg), and 
after paying all expenses it netted 
him $6 per biishel. 
HARVESTING OR DIGGING.— 
With a good many peanut growers 
the harvesting of this crop is not a 
long, tiresome job, as it was a few 
years back, as we now have a ma¬ 
chine for doing this work, which 
plows up and shakes at the same 
time. We find it a great convenience 
when the soil is in proper condition and peanuts 
free of grass. It will not work when the soil is too 
wet or where there is much grass. One man and 
three mules will do the work of 10 hands the old- 
fashioned Avay of plowing up and shaking by hand, 
and Avill do it better. Another great advantage Ave 
find in the peanut harvester is, Avhere one desires 
to seed tlie peanut land to oats one can go ahead of 
the machine, soAAdng the oats by hand, and Avhen 
the farmer gets through harvesting the field he Avill 
also have the oat crop in, and in good shape. We 
RURAL. NEW-YORKER 
we should happen to have very much rain about the 
time they are matured or ripe. If one does not 
possess a machine for digging, the next best im¬ 
plement is a one-horse turn-plow with the mold- 
board off. Run the point directly under the center 
of roAv so as to strike the tap-root. Once to a roAv 
is sufficient. Hands come along right behind the 
ploAA’, shaking off the loose dirt and piling them 
straight. 
CURING THE VINES.—We find the best way to 
put them up is to go into some wooded land and 
cut stakes about six or seA’en feet in length, and 
put them in the ground not less than 10 inches deep, 
using a crowbar. See that the soil is packed firmly 
around each stake, then Avith a Aveeding hoe make a 
mound on each side and put on it tAvo or three good- 
sized pieces of wood. This Avill keep them off the 
ground, and also let the air under the shock, which 
is a guard against molding at the bottom. We also 
find tliat it is an excellent idea to let the peanuts 
remain on the ground (just as piled) for at least a 
1127 
THRASHING OR PICKING.— If the weather has 
been fairly good, the crop Avill be ready for thrash¬ 
ing in three or four weeks after being dug. It takes 
about a day to thrash off 125 to 150 bags; that is, if 
one hix'es a good machine, and no other kind pays. 
This is another great improvement on the old meth¬ 
od of picking by hand. It requires from 12 to 15 
hands to run the machine as it should be. It’s a 
dirty job, and Ave have to hustle, and al.'^o quite ex¬ 
pensive for the short time required: but it is over 
Avith so quickly that Ave don’t mind 
the exixense, dirt, rush and hustle so 
much. A crop of 1.20 or 140 bags 
can be easily thrashed in a day, 
vines stacked or housed and bags 
sewexl up and store<l aAvay. 
STORING.—We store them in an 
outhouse or barn as fast as thrashed. 
Before storing any. Ave scatter a 
few moth balls on the floor, and 
also among the bags every time a 
load or two is stored. They are 
very cheap. Ten or 15 cents’ Avorth 
will be sufficient to store in a crop 
of 400 or 500 bags. These I find 
will keep out the large barn rat, 
which is so destnictiA'e in stored 
peanuts and corn. Moth balls Avill 
also keep the rats out of your corn- 
crib, by scattering a handful or so 
among the corn as the crib is being 
fllleil. This is for corn Avhen put 
aAvay in the shuck. Moth balls have 
no effect on mice. The same meth¬ 
od is used in harvesting the Vir¬ 
ginia A-ariety, with the exception of 
one slight difference. Avhich is that 
it requires running tAvice to a roAV Avhen the ploAv is 
used. As the vines are much larger than the Span¬ 
ish, a double plow is necessary, running once on 
each side of the row. This variety is usually dug 
about October 10 or 15. avm. haet habbisox. 
Virginia. 
Banking Irish Potatoes 
T his old and 1 -ather primitive method of storing 
potatoes is still used in some porato-growing sec¬ 
tion, and growers Avho have only a limited quantity 
A Method oi Storing Potatoes Practiced in Some Sections. Fig. 418 
Stacking Peanuts on a Virginia Plantation. Fig. 419 
haA'e made fine oats by this method of seeding. 
SEASON OF GROWTH.—I’eamits planted during 
the month of May should be ready to dig the latter 
part of September, and those planted in June about 
October 20. Those planted from the first to the 
tenth of June should be dug about October 10. 
Great care .should be used to see that the Spanish 
variety is dug just as soon as thoroughly matured, 
because when alloAA'ed to remain in the ground too 
long after maturity a good many Avill be lost by 
sprouting, and also by the stems rutting off, Av^hich 
will be left in the ground. Especially is this true if 
day, so as to wilt and dry out some latfore being 
shocked. In this Avay they are not so likely to 
mold, and Avill be ready to pick off much sooner. 
We usually put one shock in a place. Place the root 
part of the vine just as close to the stake as pos- 
.sible, so as to keep the nuts from shoAving or being 
exposed on the outside of the shock, Avhere they 
Avill turn dark and also be unprotected for birds and 
dogs to destroy. After getting to the top of the 
stake, twist or tie several vines around it, then cap 
off with a bunch of grass, Avhich is easily found in 
most peanut fields at this time. 
of tubers to store can still depend upon it for satis¬ 
factory results. I’otatoes either for ^eed or for mar¬ 
ket purposes can be economically stored ir outdoor 
pits, but Avhere more than a feAV hundred bushels 
are to be stored, one of the various types of regular 
storage-houses Avill be found more satisfactory and 
conA'enient. Besides the large amount of labor re¬ 
quired properly to prepare a large outdoor pit, a 
feature Avhich may be objectionable in cold sections 
is that the stored potatoes are not accessible during 
cold AAcather. Where the potatoes are in good con¬ 
dition and the pit is well insulated by the covering 
