Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-15
THE PEANUT IN TENNESSEE.

You are certainly in fair way to make
Texas the great peanut state of the Union.
The facts you have given through The GA
zETTE are SO clear that l cannot see how
any person could for one moment doubt the
success of the crop. 1t is profitable crop,
as you have shown, and then it is the very
crop of all others that we need in an uncer-
tain climate, for its long tap root, as made
plain in your articles, enables it to with
stand drouth better than any other crop we
could grow. am taking the bulletins of
the Tennessee experiment station, ana this
day send you one with an article on pea
nut culture marked, thinking it might con-
tain something that would aid you in the
good work you have inaugurated.
Waco, Tex. TEXAN.
The marked article to which our COR
respondent refers says 1ennessee's crop of
peanuts for 1889 was worth, at the lowest
estimate, 1895, 600 The total crop of the
United States for that year was worth only
about s., 100000. In 1880 the crop was con-
siderably larger. 1t costs about forty cents
bushel to grow and put peanuts on the
market not taking into consideration the
value of the vines as a stock feed. The av-
erage yield in Tennessee is from forty to
sixty bushels to the acre. Our showing of
yield much higher for Texas.
In Tennessee, says the article, peanut
growing is mainly confined to six or seven
counties in the center of the state. The
soil used is sandy or gravelly clay, with
clay subsoil, and is derived from siliceous
limestoaes and sandstones.
Two kinds of peanuts are grown in Ten
nessee, viz, white and red. The white va
riety is produced in much the larger guam
tity, as they bring about 25 cents per
bushel more than the red. The red nut is
so called from the color of the skin of the
kernel. The white nut has skin nearly
or quite white, but which darkens with
age. The white nut has more spreading
habit of growth than the red, is said to be
more prolific, and is later in coming to ma
turity. The red natures better because
earlier, and yields fewer imperfect pods,
called 'puffs'' or ''pops.'
The very best results in peanut growing
are to be obtained only by careful attention.
to details, such as selection and preserySF
ton of seed, careful preparation of ~
ground, care in selecting seed, and sod
culture of the peas. Only in this V6y can
the planter always be sure of getting just
returns for his labor, no matter what the
prices are.
The peanut, says the Bulletin, is one of
the richest vegetable foods known. Peanut
meal is far superior to cotton seed meal as
q feeding stuff. 1t is, however, hardly
known in this country for this use.
The practice of feeding the hay is one
long established, and for this purpose it
seems to be about equal to clover hay, espe-
cially for cattle; but horses do well on it.
Experience in Virginia and North Caro-
lima seems to indicate that a moderate usef
of commercial and homemade fertilizerSI
would pay growers of peanuts in Tennesss6S
From the analysis and from what we NOW
of the needs of similar plants it is suggested
that experiments be made with home.Q
mixed fertilizers, giving fifteen pounds n
nitrogen, ten pounds of available phosphSfc
acid, and twenty pounds of potash per desc
Of course it will be understood that the
above has no reference to Texas. Here, at
Fort Worth, man has raised 120 bushels 4
of peanuts to the acre on what we consider
our poorest soil, without any fertilizers