The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-04-27
The Culture Of Peanuts.


of friend, by one of the most successful
cultivators of the peanut in Virginia
Dear sir,-At your request I send you my
mode Of raising peanuts. To raise full
crop it Is Indispensable that you obtain a
full stand, which can only be done by Sc
Letting seed Of good quality. There Is no
crop the seeds of which are SO likely to be
injured by causes known and unknown as
thnt Of peanuts. In most instances the most
experienced and practical planters are una
BILE to distinguish good from inferior seed
by mere inspection, the causes which de-
stroy their terminating property being so
slight as to produce no visible effect ON the
nut. But their failing to come up does not
always rest with the seed the seasons, the
preparation of the ground, and the depth
and time of planting, all have their effect.
They should neuer be planted until the
ground IS sufficiently acnTm to receiue the
seed. Too much attention cannot be paid
to this fact. IF the ground be wet and cold
at the time of planting, by the law Of endos-
n1osts the nut becomes saturated with wa
ter and will in many instances rot in thirty
six hours: By covering the nut with thin
coating Of coal tar as you do corn, the wa
ter is excluded and the soundness Of the nut
much preserved. Besides, it renders them
less pleasant to the taste Of the hands when
planting.
A sandy loan with an ample quantity OF
lime or mari is best suited to the produc-
tion Of q full crop. Almost any of the sandy
lands in the lower tfde-water counties OF
Virginia, with sufficiency of lime or mari,
will produce fair yield. That some soils
in particular localities, irrespective Of their
fertility, will produce extraordinary crops
cannot be questioned. I have known as
high as 100 bushels to the acre, and that on
land which. would not yield more than 30 OF
80 bushels Of shelled corn. might instance
many of the lands lying along the Blackwa.
ter in the counties Of Sussex, Surry, South
ampton, and Isle Of Wight, Va. .,
| PREPARATION OF THE SOIL.
| Most planters agree that the ground
should be broken up shallow and with
single-horse plough. It should then be har
roWed over until it is in good filth. Yor
may then lay it off in rows three feet dis
lance with small hoe. You will then rur
on either side of this row or "streak" will
a turn plough, which will make small bed
This bed then should be leyelled down
little and split open about or 8 inches
in which furrow you will plant the nu
| IA or IS inches distance, one or two In tn
hill as you may like best.
| MODE OF CULTIVATION.
| After the plant has grown about tire
inches in diameter, and the young grass be
gins to make its appearance, it Is my pla]
to use the turn plough and run the bar a
near as possible, the ploughing to be don
lust sufficiently deep to turn under tn
young grass then with a small steel ba
| mo. 81 scrape the remaining grass off a
clearly as possible. In few days after thi
q tro,oeI or shovel plough or three-tootl
cultivator should be run down the centre Q
the rows so as to thoroughly break up tn
entire intervening space. After this yo1
can use the plough OF cultivator as may, &C
cording to your own ideas meet the eXigen
cies of the case. They should be used a
least three times, the last being the mos
| important wedding, as it is then that tn
"pigs" commence to take hold, and shoult
| they be injured by the hoe it will seriousl,
iniilre the product of the vine. Too mucl
attention cannot be paid to that fact. Tn
crop In most cases should not be worked
much after the first Of August.
| HARVESTING.
From the 10th TO the 10Th Of October i
/ the time we usually commence TO dig. The.
should be dug with a prong hoe or plough
cd with regular peanut plough. Grea
care and attention are necessary in harvest
ing and shocking the vines. If this is no
properly done the nut will be dark, and Q
course its market value materially injured
We usually shock on rails laid across billets o
wood, putting three shocks on one set o
rails, the shocks about five or dix feet high
one uine deep. Of course the size OF tn
shocks will depend on the size of the vines
Some persons, when they have but few, ca
them with hay or straw to keep out tn
rain. If the vines are properly shocked, an
| the weather good, they will cure sufficient
IL in three weeks to pick off. Neuer shoe
,ohiIe the ui,scs are damp from rain or deaI
Some shock Immediately after digging
others let them take day or two of sun.
The last and most important thing is
sell the crop for q big price, which you ca
very easily do if you have Clancy nuts"
i Respectfully, n. }. HOLT.
Dr.. Len. Cr,lnp, Richmond, va.