The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1880-03-24
Peanuts.
Col. r. Irby. in Rural Messenger.

COl Ii, TROY. IN Rural Messenger.
The ground pea or peanut has been
cultivated in southeast Virginia from
very remote period. 1t is supposed
to have been introduced in the 18th
centnrys from Africa with the large
importation of slaves brought to Nir-
ginia at that date. Previous to the
war, it was pretty generally cult
waited in our gardens. Several farm
ers in the southern part OF Prince
George and in Surry and Sussex
counties raised them as crop and
sold them in Petersburg at IS cents
per busbel. The great popularity of
this nut and the rapid extension Of its
cultivation has been attributed to the
occupation Of the region named by
the Federal army. Thus the nuts be-
coming popular with the soldiers,
the knowledge Of them was widely
disseminated after the war.
There are FIVE varieties known in
Virginia, viz: Running or Spread
ing" pea, Bunch" pea, ''Spanish" pea,
"Gouber" pea, and Tennessee" pea.
The last two are not much cultivated.
The Gouber or North Carolina pea
3sSs5sfiIg better auapted tor ISA1Iif9 OIL,
it sells at lower price. With the
blood-red appearance of the kernel
after the shell is removed, and its in
terior flavor, the Tennessee nut rs
unpopular and hard to dispose OF.
The Spanish pea is a late lutroduc-
ton, and as it is very small, (the ker-
mel not much larger than our common
garden pea), considerable demand
has sprung up for it among the man.
ufacturers of peanut candy; 50 much
so indeed, that the demand exceeds
the supply. This sells about 10 cents
per bushel higher than the Spreading
or the Bunch pea. II weighs to the
bushel thirty pounds, the other
only twenty-five pounds. The Bunch
pea sells perhaps at lower price
than the Spreading or Running pea,
This, we think, is a mistake.-Ed. |
which supplies nine.tenths of the pea
nuts OF the Norfolk and Petersburg
markets; but the "Bunch pea is re,
puted to have the great advantage of
forming no pops" and OF being
much better adapted to rich land
the other running too much to vine
and forming pops" innumerable. 1t
is also said to grow well on stiff clay
soils.
About one and a half millions of
bushels is the estimated crop of pea
nuts in the United States. Virginia
is thought to raise eight hundred
thousand = Tennessee and North
Carolina raise the balance. The
crop is largely made in Africa, from
which it is sent almost exclusively to
France to be expressed into oil which
is used to adulterate the olive oil of
commerce. A duty was levied on
peanuts by the United States Con
gress some years since. Since that
time none have been imported.
Land well adapted to the crop rents
for fourth of the crop; but many
prefer to pay SO per acre to giving
the fourth. 1t is the custom 10 rake
up the leaves and mould in the for
ests and spread them on the land,
then plow the land and haul out from
one to three hundred bushels OF mari
to the acre, as the land is thought to
need it. Mari being accessible, the
hauling is the main labor.
No foreign market has yet been
established for peanuts. They are
sold on the ocean steamers and may
thus find their way abroad, and the
demand may in this way be extended.
The rotation Of crops for South.