Bismarck weekly tribune., 1888-12-14
POINTS ON PEANUTS.

ONE OF THE cuRloslTlEs OF THE
VEGETABLE KINGDOM.
Psculiarities Of the "Formine Pod"-Cul-
ture. Planting and Harvesting-The Cali
fornia Method-White and Red Varieties.
Peanut OIL and Peanut Flour.
The peanut is a leguminous plant, botanic
ally known as the arachis hypogea 1t has
several other common names than that by
which we are accustomed to call it, among
them being ground pea and ground nut In
the southern states it is known as pindar and
gouber, while by the French it is called the
pistache de terre. 1t is generally believed to
be indigenous to Africa, although there are
five or six species of the genus found grow
ing wild in Brazil. 1t has been successfully
introduced into Spain, has for several years
been raised in the states Of Virginia, Georgia,
Tennessee, and has more recently been cult
waited in California. A small variety also
grows in China.
Roughly speaking, it might he said that
the peanut looks like clover and grows like
sweet potato, but for those who prefer
stricter and more botanical description, the
following may be quoted: The plant is
ditfusely branched, trailing annual with alb
ruptly pinnate leaves with four leaflets; the
small yellow flowers are in auxiliary heads
or spikes; calyx with one narrow lobe max
ing lower lip, the upper lip four toothed
and with long, thread like tube; heel of the
oorn11n tod. cto taI
into tube by their filiments each alternate
of the long calyx tube. After the flower
falls away the forming pod is forced into
the soil by the elongation of the rigid de-
fiexed stalk to which it is attached. The
forming pod then rapidly enlarges and forms
a thick shelled, indehiscent pod, with a
strongly netted surface, often contracted be-
tween the seeds, of which it contains two or
three. These have very thick cotyledons
and an extremely short radicle.
THE FORMING POD"
The burying of the forming pod" or nut
by the 'elongation of the rigid, defexed
stalk" is the popularity of this plant, and is
one of the curiosities Of the vegetable king
dom. The flower and leaf stalks are of en-
tirely different characters. The flower stalk
is a trailing vine like that of the melon and
cucumber, the blossoms appearing at short
intervals along its length. The flower opens
and blossoms close down to the stalk, and it
is not until after the petals have fallen and
the seed pod is formed that the pushing
power is made manifest. Gradually the seed
pod or nut is lifted away from the stem and
little stalk shows itself. As this stalk
grows so the nut at the end of it is pushed
forward until it curves over like fish hook.
with the little nut in the place of the point
and barb. Gradually the nut is pushed
down to the ground, and then pushed into it.
If by any accident this is prevented the fruit
ceases to grow.
The culture of the peanut is not difficult.
Good corn land is generally selected in this
country, care being taken that there is moth
ing i'll tie land that would stain the shells.
In this state sandy loan that never suffers
from drought should be chosen. In fact.
good melon land is generally good peanut
land. The bottom lands on the borders of
rivers that receive winter or spring over
flow are admirably adapted for the growth
Of this nut. The plan of planting adopted in
the south is to mark off the land in burrows
three feet apart, and in these two peas are
dropped at intervals of eighteen inches and
covered an inch and half deep.
When the nuts are ripe, which will be in
October, the California peanut farmer runs
furrow on each side of the row of vines
with a bull tongued plow, close enough to
loosen the soil and plants. Then he takes
Light and narrow grubbing hoe, digs up the
vines and turns them over to dry, taking care
never to gather in rainy weather or when the
ground is very wet. Aftersallowing the vines
to lie in the sun for day the best plan is to
stack them, after the dew has dried, in the
following fashion: Drive stake of four or
five feet long firmly into the ground, spread
ing dried grass or hay around it, SO as to
keep the vines from the damp ground. Then
lay the vines around the post with the roots
inward, taking care to leave space around
the stake for purposes Of ventilation, and
when the stack is of proper height thatch it
with straw cap tied to the stake. Let the
vines remain in stack from three to five
weeks and then pick the nuts and send to
market.
WHITE AND RED VARIETIES.
A clean, bright appearance of the pods is
largely to be desired, and to get this the nuts
are sometimes put into sort of winnowing
cage, which is turned either by hand or
Po"SA. AuI1o de Two 6OrCS OF peanuts
grown in California-the white and the red
and to make the white variety still whiter
the nuts are sometimes treated to sulphur
fumes. The red variety, by the by, is more
easily cultivated and sells for about the
same price. The white variety runs along
the ground, while the red grows upright in
bunch. The picking is rather arduous
task, but the labor will in all probability be
modified by the use of machinery.
The peanut is a useful product-much
more so, indeed, than people imagine. We
all know how extensively it is eaten in its
roasted state, but therein by no means lies
the extent Of its value The nuts contain
from AZ to SO per cent of nearly colorless.
bland, fixed oil, resembling olive oil, and
used for similar purposes. The best is OBJ
tanned by cold expression, but large quan-
tity of inferior oil is procured by heating
the seeds before pressing. It is non-dryine
oil changing but slowly by exposure to the
atmosphere, and remaining fluid in a cold
several degrees below 50 degs. Fahrenheit.
It contains besides oleic and palmitic acids
two other oily acids, which have been called
the arachic and hypogeic. though it is
doubtful if they are really distinct. The