The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1885-04-18

Have YOU ever tried cultivatiuS peanuts'
Ii not, plant some this year. They will make
an excellent dessert for the farmers table i'll
winter, roasted fresh, rs they must he. More
over they viii grow wherever corn can he
raised. They are one of the chief field crops
in Virginia The peanut is not raised only
10 be eaten as country youths AT Circuses are
apt to imagine Millions Of dollars worth
are sold every year for the OIL The nuts con
tain all the way up to 10 per cent of this. 1t
is used as a table oil instead of that of the
olive, and is quite as good. The oil is largely
used also in soap making. 1t makes Il good
illuminating and lubricatng oil As well, Per
haps III time peanuts too. will become one ui
the important export crops Of the United
States. There are no factories that we know
of at present for pressing out the oil, but ther,
is no reason why there should Tot be-
PEANUT CULTURE.
Plant As soon as the ground is thoroughly
warm and dry, and free from frost Just
after corn planting is good tule. A limey
soil is the proper one. If not sufficiently so
by nature it must be made 50 by lime fertil-
izerS \ light clayey soil in the limestone
regions is good. The earth must be made
very fine and free from Clods. This is to
| leave room for the nut pods to penetrate the
| ground Throw up small ridges about as
| far apart as corn rows. Flatten the ridge
slightly and drop the seed II inches apart. A
| "Cottern as il is called i'll the south, is used
to mark the places for the hills. We shall
| give an illustration of this ''dotter' soon.
The holes for the seed are made only from
| one to two inches deep. One seed is dropped
in each hole and covered only to the depth of
the hole making the ground even-no deeper
! than that In about two weeks the young
| growthS will be visible sufficiently to show
where replanting is necessary. Put two or
| three kernels in the hole at replanting.
There are two kinds Of peanuts, the red
! and white The white grows upon an erect
stem. and admits of being cultivated with
the pillow. The red peanut brings the higher
price in market. II yields from 10 to 100
bushels to the acre. The pcantits must he
carefully hulled by hand befors being planted
Cultivation lasts two or three months The
red peanut, after it has blossomed, throws
out pod which bends over towards the
ground and finally buries itself The eartL
is thrown up about this variety; the white is
gwen level cultivation. The soil about the
plants is kept loose and free from weeds.
They are ripe in the latter part of summer
Run furrow along each side of the white
kind, to loosen the roots, before lifting the
plants. The red may be simply pulled up
ike bunch beans. The plants are laid in the
sun for day, till they wilt. Then they are
stacked \ writer III The Indiana Farmer
gives this method of stacking: A pole about
eight feet long is driven firmly into the
ground. and around it is built foundation
of LOGS, upon which the vines are stacked
roots inward, leaving small opening around
the pole for the circulation of the air from
the bottom to the top. The stack is capped
with hay or fodder, and if the roof thus made
is waterproof the peanuts may I've left in the
stack during the winter The red peanuts
are harvested in the same way. Usually the
vines are allowed to remain in the stack
about four weeks, when the nuts are picked
oil by hand From three to six bushels per
day is good picking. The work is generally
done by the women and children. A woman
will pick more than man, and child more
than woman After picking the nuts are
screened i'll cylinder and summed for few
hours, and then sacked for market.
The root of the plant is used for purposes
Of aduteration. 1t is ground and mixed
with cocoa in the preparation of chocolate,
and frequently it is used to the complete ex-
cluson of cocoa in the manufacture of the
so-called chocolate condiments, The vine, if
harvested before being injured by frost,
makes good feed for eattle, sheep and horses
some southern planters considering it better
than clover 1t produces a copious flow OF
milk. 1t is also good fertilizer. The pea
nut crop is capable of being Us completely
utilized rs any crop grown
|