The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1872-01-19
ESSAY ON PEANUTS.

ESSAY ON PEANUTS. I. "A
As many persons are making in /
quiry of me regarding the cultivation /
OF peanuts, think the best way to /
convey to others what my experience
has taught me in Vineland is to insert /
a short essay in your paper. a.i
NATURE AND PREPARATION OF SOIL.
The soil should be a sandy loan,
not too rich, but capable of yielding |
a falr crop Of corn; for if too rich the /
tendency of the plant will be to run
TO vine: Spread broadcast. from
twenty-five to thiFty-one horse loads |
of any Well-rotted manure worked
hne, vegetable manure generally /
preferred, though some stable manure
VIII not-eome amiss,) per acre be-
lore plOwing, then pillow four''or five
inches deep, turning under the E1an- |
ure as evenly as possible; then spread
broadcast thirty to fifty bushels Of |
smell lime per acre, narrowing with a
light iron tooth harrow, and brush or
roll smooth then mark off the field
in three feet squares; have the rows
straight, making the marks about
two inches deep, or raise slight hill
at the intersection of the marks.
PLANTING. e
Shell the nuts carefully, so as to
not break the skin, drop three to five
kernels in the hill; drop the grains
close together, as in cultivatfng early
it is necessary to work as close as
possible, and not injure the plant.
Cover one and half or two inches
deep, with well pulverized soil. Some
writers on the subject recommend five
inches, but my experience of three
seasons here, has proved that the
depth 1 have mentioned, as = general
rule, is the best on my land. A poF-
ton Of my patch did not come up,
lowing to deep cOVeTing,) until the
middle of June though [ planted
Immediately after corn, about the 18th
of May. Planting should be done as
soon as possible in May, as the peanut
needs all the season to mature. The
temperature of the soil should be
about so degrees Farenheit, though I
have planted when it was much
lower.
CULTIVATION.
AS soon as the rows can be seen,
begin to work the ground around the
plants. Use a potato digger or small
iron tOoth-rake, these tools being
much better for the purpose than a
hoe, as there is less danger of cutting
the plant. Cultivate between the
rows with some tool that will throw
the dirt slightly toward the hills.
use Knox's Horse Hoe, throwing the
earth first to the centre, then FeVeTs-
ing the tOeth and throwing the earth
outward. AS the fingers or shoots of
the plant spread (which they do in a
circular fOrm) I hill up, but. do not
disturb the shoots, making the hills
about four inches high, and at the
last hoeing the hills are fifteen to
twenty inches across. The idea adj
vanced by some of covering the bios
SONS with dirt or soil, I found by act
ual experiment, to be useless. It is
true that the shoots were pressed.
more firmly to the ground, and per-
haps caused the small shoot from the
blossom to start much quicker, but all
the nuts in those hills were much
smaller than the rest of the crop
there were also more nuts in the hills
covered; but as I stated, all smaller
at maturity. No grass or weeds
should be allowed to grow among the
vines, as they are very sensitive on
such matters. When the cultivatOr
can no longer be used without dis
tuTbing the plants, they must be
worked by hand. Cultivating and
hoeing twice is generally sufficient.
HARVESTING.
In climates where the growing sea-
son is long enough there is no trouble,
but here it is necessary to watch the
weather, and if the crop is exposed
after gathering to the frost, it must
be housed without delay, as a slight
nipping will cause them to rot before
hey can dry. If they can be left on
a.. hills after digging for a week, so
mt, he better, but for the last two
seasoLs 1 AovR been forced to take up
my vines 1,v.i,- Han 1 wished, for
fear of the frost. As sJs0n as the frost
kills the vines dig the nuts. using a
spading-fork, placing it at one side of
the hill and prying out the hill at
the same time take hold of the vine
with one hand and lift it, shake off
the dirt and turn the vine upside
down on the hill, leave as dug for sew
eral days if no frost, if frosty, haul in
at once and put under cover. Pick
off the nuts as soon as possible, for il
left on the vines in a moist state, the
nuts will heat and rot. Spread thinly
on a floor, if possible over a room in
which there is a fire kept, and no
plastering ceiling. I cure by putting
LllClh Oll GllC 6ldbNCO lOO1 VI MY mp
kiln, having a cloth on the stats and
a fire in the room below. The hot |
air passing through, they soon dry, |
when put them in coarse bags or in |
a bin-they keep better in bags.
GENERAL REMARKS
The nuts must be shelled just bez |
fore planting, as, if exposed too long |
to the air, the skin will crack and in |
jure the seed. One of the main points 1
is to start the plants early and keep |
them growing without check. Care |
full cultivation and proper manure |
will do it. My yield last season from /
twelve hundred hills, was nine BUSH /
els of sound nuts; this season from
twenty-five hundred hills, but thir- |
teen bushels, of which nine were /
sound nuts, owing to the unfavorable /
season. A dry season appears to suit /
their nature best after they get 4 /
start. /
I have seen it stated that in the
Southern States the yield varies from
thirty to fifty bushels per acre.
Yours truly,
j, H. DOWLER.
NOTE-The object of blowing shall
low is this, the nut will not form /