Graham guardian., 1895-03-23
THE FARM.


and history Of the peanut, together
with notes on its cultivation and
uses. AS is well known, this is not
really nut, but, more properly, a
ground pea. Analysis gives the
peanut high rank as to its food
value, since it contains 20 per cent,
of protein and 40 per cent, of fat,
and it should be classed with such
concentrated foods as the sojabean
and cotton seed, while the vines are
superior to timothy hay as feeding
stuff and, of course, would be equal
or superior to clover hay if any
considerable percentage of nuts
were left on the vines. The aver
age yield of peanuts in Virginia is
about twenty bushels to the acre,
and in Tennessee thirty-two bushels,
but fifty to sixty bushels ought to
be an average crop, and 100 busels
not an uncommon yield. Fair pea
nut land, when properly treated,
should produce fifty bushels to the
acre, with one or two tons of excel
lent hay in ordianry seasons.
Four million bushels are annually
raised in this country, which is
only about one-seventh of the crop
of the world. Millions of bushels
are used in the Old World for the
production Of oil, in which these
nuts are very rich.
That farmer is mistaken who
says he can not afford to follow i'm
proved methods of keeping good
stock, says writer. Rather there
is no farmer who can afford not to
do these things.
DO not attempt to grow crop
of some new variety ofcorn. Stick
to the old kinds until plot has
been used of the newer kinds by
way of experiment. Corn that
may thrive we'll and give large
yields in some sections, may prove
miserable failure elsewhere.
The climate and soil must be con-
sidered when procuring seed.
Mr.. Colville, botanist Of the I'm
tied States Department of Agricul-
ture, says that it is a fact, well
known and admitted by European
importers, that American clover
seed in general maintains a higher
standard of purity than that from
any other country in the world.
This is owing largely to the fact
that American seed-cleaning mach
inery has reached higher state of
perfection than that of other
countries.
Ewes that are sucking lambs
should have some grain, especially
if they are given roots or other
succulent food to increase the flow
of milk. There is always profit in
making the lambs grow rapidly, as
the larger and fatter they are the
better price they will bring per
pound. 1t is just as possible to
increase the yield of milk from
ewes as 1t is from cows in the dairy
by good feeding. By keeping up
the practice for several generations
breeds of sheep that are superior
for milk may be established. This
will be especially necessary if
farmers grow the breeds that pro-
duce twins and occasionally trip
lets at a birth. Most common
sheep are so poor mixers that one
lamb is all they can provide for,
and they need good feeding at that.
A new source of butter has been
discovered by the Cornell College
of Agriculture. 1t is found in the
whey, a waste product in cheese
making, which has therefore been
only fed to hogs and not thought
very good for them. The discov-
cry is method by which the but
ter fats, always present in whey,
can be separated and used in MAX
ing butter. The separator machine
is used. The saving will be suffic-
ent in large cheese factory to pay
for separator in a short time.
1t means a saving to New York
dairymen of full s1,000,000 worth
of butter per year. The butter
made by this process is said to be
of excellent quality.
Since large quantity of seed
and labor are required to produce
crop ofpotatoes, says the Country
Gentleman, much pains should be
taken to prepare the ground and
cultivate it, before and after the
potatoes have grown, in the best
manner possible.
The potato is deep-rooted plant
and therefore, the ground should
be prepared deeply. The tubes are
formed above the seed. These two
points should always be kept prom
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