The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1896-01-01


pensive and laborious. He desires to
know how this may be remedied in the
future.
A farmers bulletin on the subject,
prepared by Mr.. r. B. Handy, has re-
Gently been issued by the department of
agrlculture. Mr.. Handy lmpresses upon
the grower the necessity of harvesting the
nuts before the vines have been scorched
by the first frost, as it is injurious
both to the vines, when regarded as
fodder, and to the kernels. 1t may be
necessary to dig the crop some time be-
fore frost IL feared, because early formed
nuts when frost is long delayed begin to
sprout, and the loss to the farmer from
that cause would be greater than the
gain from the maturing of the later nuts.
Besides, if peanuts have been cultivated
in the same land for several years the
vines often will drop their leaves and
are thus greatly injured for use as hay.
Peanut farmers have pillow made
especially for harvesting this crop,
| which has no moldboard and has bar
feet long and an upright the same
| as the other plows. The foot piece is
welded 10 inches from the rear end and
extends up five inches, with a small
hole through it, to which is fastened the
hind helve of the pillow. The beam is
| as usual, with handles fastened to either
side of it. There is duck bill on the
fat end of the bar and sword 4
inches wide and Is inches long welded
to the bar five inches behind the duck
bill and extending out to the right side
diagonally and backward, so as to run
under and cut the taproot of the vine.
This plow, with two horses attached,
| is passed up each side of the row deep
enough to escape the peas, the long
wing cutting the taproOts, rendering
them easy to remove from the soil. Fol
lowing this pillow laborers with pitch
forks remove the plants from the ground,
carefully shaking off all lose soil and
piling them in windows, three rows in
one. They are usually plowed in the
morning, and then in the afternoon are
stacked or shocked around poles seven
feet high, set in the ground at conven-
lent places in the field. In shocking care
| is taken to keep the vines from the
ground, the usual practice being to lay
couple of fence logs on each side Of
the center pole, and the plants are so
arranged around the pole as to have the
| pods inside, and also to leave some
space next to the pole for the circulation
of air. The shocks are usually capped
with corn fodder or hay to keep out the
rain.
After being thus stacked from Is to
20 days the pods are ready to be picked.
This operation is usually performed by
women and children, who are paid so
much per bushel and are expected to
pick only the mature and sound pods.
It is slow and tedious work and one of
the largest items of expense of the pea
nut farmer. Since the establishment of
peanut factories, or "recleaners," in
nearly every community in which much
attention is paid to this crop, the plant
er has ceased to especially prepare his
nuts for market, selling them as ''farm-
ers stock" to those factories or reclean-
ers, where they are subjected to treat
ment of tanning, polishing and sorting
before being put upon the market. This
process is simple and inexpensive.
| e. Moulie. of Jacksonville, the per-
fumer. claims to have spent nearly $780,
900 since he came to this State in Oct.
cher. 1890. He first established a. nlant