Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1888-12-05
POINTS ON PEANUTS.
ONE OF THE CuRloSlTlES OF THE
VEGETABLE KINGDOM.

PecuIiarities Of tho Forming Pod "-Cui-
ture, Planting and Harvestine-The Cali
fornia Method-white and Red Varieties.
Peanut Oil and Peanut Flour.
The peanut is 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 small variety also
grows in China.
Roughly speaking, II might he said that
the peanut looks like clover and grows like a
sweet potato, hut for those who prefer q
stricter and more botanical description, the
following may be quoted: The plant is a
diffusely branched, trailing annual, with ab-
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 gpper lip four toothed
and with long, thread like tube; heel of the
corolla incurved and pointed; stamens united
into tube by theig ailments, each alternate
| shorter than the others; ovary ut the bottom
of the long calyx tube. After the flower
falls away the forming pod is forced into
the soil by the eongation of the rigid de
fexed stalk to which it is attached The
forming pod then rapidly enlarges and forms
"a thick shelled udeniscent pod, with n
strongly Melted surface, often contracted he
tween the seeds, of which it contains two or
three. These have very thick cotyedous
and an extremely short radicle.
THE FORMING rom
The burying of the forming pod" or nut
| by the 'elongation of the rigid, deflexed
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 il
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 ard
little stalk shows itself As this stalk
grows so the nut ut the end nf it is pushed
forward until it curves over ike fish hook
with the little nut III 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 THU
country, care being taken that there is moth
ing in the land that would stain the shells
In this state sandy loan that never suffer
from drought should be chosen In fact
good melon land is generally good peanu
land. The bottom lands on the borders o
rivers that receive a winter or spring over
flow are admirably adapted for the growtl
of this nut. The plan of planting adopted il
thssouth is TO mark off the land in furrow
three feet apart, and in these two peas ar
dropped at intervals of eighteen inches an,
covered an inch and half deep.
| When the nuts are ripe, which will be il
| OCltbtlt LLS NSli4At'A Alisi PEANUT
furrow on each side of the row of vine
with bull tongued plow, close enough t
loosen the soil and plants. Then be takes
light and narrow grubbing hoe, digs up tn
vines and turns them over to dry, taking car
never to gather in rainy weather or WREN th
ground is very wet After allowing the vine
to lie in the sun for day the best plan is t
stack them, after the dew has dried, in til
following fashion: Drive stake of four G
five feet long firmly into the groupd, spread
= ing dried grass or hay around it, so rs
keep the vines from the damp ground. The
lay the vines around the post with the roo
inward, taking care to leave space aroun
the stake for purposes of ventilation, an
e when the stack is of a proper height thatch
with straw cap tied to the stake Let tt
: weeks and 'rndn p1cE Gte- nuts and send
= market