The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1889-03-28
The Spanish Peanut.

Last autumnsl wrotelau article ol INT
Spanish peanuts or "Poor mans friend,
as termed them. After the publication
of that article received so many letter:
ofinquiry in regard to seed, mode and
time of planting, mode of cultivation,
ETC., that WAS quite job to answer
them.all.i
nm ow as the planting season is soon to
be here must ask you for space to giTc
the desired information more fully. The
spanish'peanut, in.my opinion, certainly
deserves the title of"poor mans friend
for there is no crop that | hare'auy expe-
ence with, (and I've had some experience
in good many that will give better
results with less labor on our poor, guano
starved lands. If you wish to raise them
for. sale they will produce two OF three
times as much as corn .or. cotton, with
much less labor than cotton. Then as
stock feed they surpass anything.
Horses, cattle, hogs, poultry and all kinds
ofstock ea..the nuts greedily. Then the
vines after the nuts are removed make the
very best forage. Stock eat them freely
and thrive. we'll
Will nowirepeat my personal expert
ence with them, as this article may reach
a great many that never saw the former
one. In 'S7 planted fourth acre of
poor, sandy land, that made that year,
only.l4 bushels of corn to the acre. L Re
suits from peanuts ten bushels and IS
worth Of forage. Lsst.year, 'SS, planted
one acre. Results from the one acre OF
poor, sandy ridge. land, with no fertilizers,
fifty bushels Of Duts, and $50 worth offne
forage.
First years crop, sold!for seed, atEE$2 a
bushel, made the one.foulth of an acre
produce $25 with the forage.
Last years crop, one acre at S1.50 per
bushel, with forage, produced $4,000.
How does that compare with other crops
on poor land without manure?
Now, as to quantity of seed to acre,
mode of cultivation, etc.
One bushel to the acre.
Time Of planting about same as cotton
In our section, any time from tenth OF
April to first Of June.
Mode of planting, similar to that o.
cotton.
Make your rows q to 8 feet apart. If
you wish to use fertilizers, run off your
rows, then bed on the manure in as flat
beds as possible. When ready to plant,
open beds with small plow. Drop two
shelled peas in hill, eighteen inches
apart. Then cover With board or small
double plow.
plow first time with small long ploH to
stir the ground thoroughly, then the
rest of the time with fiat sweeps. Hoe
out the grass between the hills.
Ifseasons are favorable you can harvest
the last of August or first Of September.
The ease with which they are harvested
is the chief point of superiority over the
old kinds Of peanuts. Can pull up vines
by hand and lesve scarcely q single pea
in the ground. Pull them up and throw
four rows together. Let them have
one or two days sun, then take fork
and throw them in small piles, about fif-
teen or twenty feet apart May let them
stay day or two in piles, then haul them
up early or late when damp to prevent
shattering. When veil cured put away
under shelter and you can pick of nuts at
your leisure, or feed nuts and vines to-
gether if you wish.
In conclusion / would say, that if any
people need such crops to lift them out of
poverty and debt it is our own Southern
people.
I hope that our farmers will give this
crop trial and reports results. | also
hope this article will give them some as.
sistance in making it.
will give further information if desir-
ed.-R. G. FoLGER, in Greenrille News.