The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1898-01-07
THE enoNaIA PEANUT.
its Cultivation Possibly one OF the
Coming Industries OF Tcxws,


Waller, Texas, January Ia great man,
farmers In Waller and adjacent countie.
have been experimenting on a small scale
with the Georgia peanut, or Spanish goob-
err, as stock feed, with the most salts.
factory results, The vine has large
foliage and makcs hay which is said 10
be superior to the best clover hay. The
vines grow in rows about three feet wide
and from six TO eight inches apart ia the
drill, each vine producing from one half
TO one and "a half pints OF tho peanuts,
winch grow In thick clusters inirnedsa tcly
around the top root. In harvesting them
all the fruit adheres to the vine, which
Is easily pulled up by hand. SO that ev-
erythins is saved without grabbing.
One person can easily harvest one acre
or more day, the vines being simply
pulled up and laid down on the grouna,
Where they lie fer one or two days, when
they are nicely cured and ready Tor the
barn or To be stacked or pressed in,u
bales. The neanuts are generally left on
the vines and fed with them. Horses Will
quit eating corn or oats TO eat IL, and
they devour IL with relish and thrive
on IT. Cattle prefer 1t TO any other kind
OF feed, but don't know that ii has ever
been sufficiently tested as milk and
butter prducer or to fatten beef cattle;
but from the rich nutriinent contained iii
the hay and the excellent oil In the pea
nut there is no doubt that II has no SUI
persor for these purposes ! am told that
one ton of it Is worth more than two tons
OF any other hay grown in southern
Texas. This being the case, it is reason
able to suppose that after Its merits shall
have become moro generally known IL
will command price OF $40 to Sl5 per
ton.
II is more easily cultivated than cotton.
and from three 10 four tons are produced
from an acre of land: and If ordinarily
scasonable, TWO successful crops can be
grown on the same ground in one season
in South Texas by planting the second
crop between the rows of the first at the
time OF laying the first crop. Then in
harvesting the first crop the second crop
is put In q condition for cultivation. When
two crops are grown from five to seven
tons can be realized from one acre of
land with no more labor than II takes
TO cultivate and gather an acre OF cotton,
and at the minimum price OF $40 per ton
you see what Is realized.
This peanut is equally profitable for fat
tening hogs. and has proven success.
One acre will produce from 100 to 100
bushels. When the peanuts are maturcd
the fattening hogs are turned on about
Hn acre AZ II ttltlt, NItNiNfliS w
of hogs. After they have eaten all the
peanuts turn them into another patch,
and the vines of the first patch which
they do not destroy In roofing up the
peanuts will so to bearing again and
make another crop. or they can be made
into hay and the land planted over when
seasonable There Is nothing on the farm
hut what will thrive on the peanuts For
poultry food it IL considered the best.
The peanuts are about half the size OF
the large Virginia peanut; it has u very
thin hull which ilts tightly around the
rich kernel as ii the kernel was nodded
into It, The kernel is sweet and oily
and possesses rich favor, and is a FAR
better eating peanut than the large va
riety, In fact one would hardly cat the
large variety after having eaten the Geor-
gia peanut | am told by good authority
that much of the sweet or olive oil we
buy In labeled bottles Is nothing more
than the oil pressed out Of these Georgia
or Spanish peanuts. but that 1t Is In all
equal TO the best olive oil and
answers every purpose CT the same 1T is
to be supposed that a ton of the peanuts
will produce as much oil as ion OF cot
ton seed and would be more valuable.
Why is 1t that there s not an indus
try coming ont OF this little product oil ma 1
lure that will rival the cotton seed oil
industry? You may hear from me again
on this subject as I expect to continue
It's Investigation. Very respectfully,
j. II. Padgett.