The herald., 1894-01-01
THE GALLERY GODS STEADY DIET.
Some Facts About Peanuts and
Their Growth.
A Nut That Has q Different Name
in Every Locality.
1t Is = Cousin OF the Bear-A Curious
Plant--How IL Ia Cultivated
Value of the Crop-Ths
Rich Oil.

II we must have national flower why
may we not have nstioncl nut? asks a
writer in Democrats Magazine. Much
that ia claimed for the beauty and SEN
timent Of the flower may be said in
favor OF the nut also, with the added
value Of the latter's utility and CONNER
cial Importance. And if we may possess
a national nut, will not the ubiquitous
peanut be the first, the universal, the
only choice? Ia it not always with us
knowing no market season and re-
stricted to no commercial locality.
appealing to childish palates in the
Christmas tsffy. assisting In manifesta-
tions OF patriotism when fresh roasted
on the Fourth of July, or saltsd and
dsintily eerved on golden shells at the
luncheons Of the "400" Perish the
mortal who regards the peanut as too
vulgar for refined natures daily food.
Such one is heartlessly sitting child
ieh memories OF peanut feasts and pea
nut dolls and deserves to dwell in land
If such can be found-that knoweth
the peanut not.
ITS MANY NAMES.
The peanut enjoys g multitude of
names. In some parts of the country it
is called the ground pea or earth nut; in
others the monkey or MANILA nut, while
to the majority of southern children it
is the dearly-loved pindar or goober. liz
France, where it is extensively imported
from the west coast of Africa, it is
known as pistache de terre, or nut OF
the earth. What the native Africans
call it 7 am unable to say. but in our
custom house classification it is placed
with macaroni, tapioea and sardines,
under the head Of dried fruites and the
shelled nuts are called beans. Truly
peanut by sny other mama would taste
like a peanut still.
The plant is botanically classified un-
der the order Leguminofe, and the ten
der annual reclines under the imposing
title of arachis hypogea; the first, or
family name, being altered from Greek
appellation employed by Theophrastus,
and the second, or specific name, mean
ing under" and "the EARTH" in al
lueion to the situation of the pods.
COUSIN OF THE BEAN.
There are very few plants that ex-
hibit more novel methods of ripening
their seeds than this common and but
little understood peanut. And although
it is cousin OF the garden pea and the
bean, the family resemblance is not
strong. Like the pea. it is diffusely
branched annual, but OF trailing rather
than climbing habits, with compound
leaves Of four leaflets. which are slightly
pointed in some species and abruptly
cut of near the end in others. The
leaves are very abundant and of ten
der green, with downy stems. The
small flowers are we'll hidden under the
mass of leaves. and, while possessing
the marked features OF the order, have
little beauty. They are densely
crowded together in the axis of the
lower leaves, or are solitary, at the
whim OF the parent plant, each being
subtened by stipule-like bract about
half an inch long and very sharply
pointed, and each with two small OPP
posite.liner bracts beneath the calvx.
A CURIOUS PLANT.
Dame nature must have been in a
irolicsome mood when she constructed
this tiny flower, so like and yet so very
unlike others of the same order. Its
analysis proved fer long years an un.
eolvable riddle. The growth of the
stem that supports the ovary is one of
the marvels of plant life. When the
flower first opens the stem is go short ae
to be ali but invisible, but as soon as
the ripe pollen falls on the stigma and
il 10 carried through the style of the
pistil to the ovary and modification
begins, the corolla, pietil, stamen and
calyx Tubes wither and fall off, and then
it is that the stalk grows rapidly.
While the stalk ia making it's growth
the ovary remains very small and 10
quite continuous with it. merely form
ing its blunt point. and in the place Of
.,:e withered style it becomes covered
with hard cap. The stalk sstiff, and
by some wonderful intuition forces it's
why downward, burying the tiny ovary
beneath the ground, and in it's efforts
attaining length OF from three to six
inches. When the ovary, or embryo
pod. is covered with earth its growth
begins. Ii for any reason the pod fails
to reach or to be covered by the soil its
development is arrested and it shrivels
and dies
HOW 1T is CULTIVATED.
The plant requires from FIVE to six
months to mature, the seeds being
planted alter there is no danger OF late
frosts, usually in Mar. and it is har-
vested before frost In October or early in
November. Good corn land is suitable
and the soil muat be light and not toe
rich, as the plant would then run to
vine and not bear many pods. The land
muet be we'll lined, preferably with
land plaster, as this is essential to the
formation OF kernels. Land that ia not
lined sufficiently will yield good crop
OF vines that makes excellent fodder,
but the pods will be empty, and are
literally pope"
Deep burrows are run across the field
about three feet apart, and the ridgea
are elightly fiattened. An interesting
and complete implement ia now used
which does the work more quickly And
surely than many men. and which Will
plant any other seeds as we'll as pea
nuts. The phospltic fertilizer iH placed
in one hopper and the shelled beans in
the other. A man drives the mules
and works the planter. which runs
along the edges distributing the fer
tilizer, covering it with soil, dropping
two or three beans on the spot, cover
ing them to depth OF two inches and
rolling the earth firmly, all in one oper.
alton.
The crop is cultivated early and
cleanly, but not co deeply, as the pods
are forming in the sides OF the ridges