The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-22
THE FARM AND THE GARDEN.
MATTERS OF INTEREST To AGRI-
CULTURALIsT AND HOUSEWIFE.


Komething About Dairying in the
South-Stock Raising-What Our
Soil Needs Is HumuS-Alfalfa or Lu-
Germ worthy of Our Regard-The
Farnworth Hog-Peanuts as a
Money Crop.
In reply to H. NJ, we are not pre-
pared to say that peanuts could be adj
vantageously grown as a money crop
in Southern Georgia or not Whether
or not the varieties of peanuts best
suited 10 the retail trade can be profit
ably grown on the thin, piney woods
soil of his section, can be settled con-
clusively only by a practical test of
the question.
Good crops of the small variety
known as the Spanish" does well any
where in the South, but it is a kind
we surmise that does not suit the re-
tail trade like the Virginia, North Car
DINA or Tennessee peanuts that are
specially grown for that trade. We
have no doubt the best quality of Vir-
GINA peanuts could be grown on our
pine soils if we would only supply them
abundantly with the necessary miner
al elements. Peanuts, like sugar cane,
must have lots of lime. The long,
large peanuts are grown on soils rich
in lime, limestone lands. Without
plenty of potash, PHOSPHORUS and
lime, the pods will not be filled with
nuts. Still there is something else in
regard to this that we have not been
able to comprehend. Last season we
planted good-sized plot of the large,
long Virginia peanuts, such as are
highly polished for the munchers at
the circus and elsewhere. A fine stand
was secured, and the peanut vines
made a fine show. The season was
perfect. The prospect of large yield
was fine, but when gathered and
threshed, there was sore disappoint-
ment. More than 80 per cent. of the
fine looking pods were entirely empty.
Between 80 and 40 per cent of them
contained as fine nuts as could be de-
sired. The theory is the soil lacked
lime but why should some pods be
perfect and others not the sign of even
a forming NUT? The soil matured as
it was would have produced fifty TO
seventy bushels of corn and
would have, as it has done for so years,
but it would not fill the peanut pod
This year the same plot (and some
extension of iD was planted to the
Spanish variety. 1t is now September
20th For several weeks day by day
the children have been making their
levy Of q half dozen punches for parch-
ing. Examination shows IS per cent.
of the pods containing nuts to the
pod usually. The Spanish peanut is
H. FrIfe
and We do not know how salable they
are at retail, at the usual price of 5
cents per pint. We have been told by
several that the flavor of the parched
Spanish nut is superior TO that of the
larger kinds, There may be something
in this or not. We cannot testify to its
truth having ceased to indulge one
time fondness for this very delightful
and substantial rejection. Certainly so
far as its edible qualities are concerned
1t is a nut" worthy of all acceptation
everywhere. 1t is far superior to some
nuts that grow on trees. 1t is a good
food. II has a certain medicinal or
hygenic quality that should still fur
Their commend it to the young at any
rate.
We have no record of any premium"
or maximum yields of any of the sew
Cral varieties of peanuts commonly
grown, ana We nave never dlLtInple1
10 compute the possible yield of "brag
acre" in peanuts.
The Department of Agriculture has
not seen fit TO include the peanut in
its statistical tables, and so we are
act posted as to the number of acres
devoted to the crop and the average
yield ger acre. But we do know that
the range of product is very wide and
the average much lower than it ought
to be Doubtless there are very many
acres cultivated yearly when the aver
age is as low as 20 bushels or even
less Under intensive treatment. es-
pecially on soil specially adapted to
peanuts. highly fortified and cultiyat-
ed. the range should be a crop any
where from 40 to 100 bushels, and we
have little doubt that under the spur
OF competition and premium to be won.
a "brag acre" a premium acre would
show that it were possible to make
an acre yield $50 bushels of mcrchanta-
BILE nuts.
From our own experience with grow
ing peanuts we would expect a premium
crop OF the Spanish kind by having TO-
800 hills TO the acre, dropping two seeds
to the hill.
The land should be well plowed and
narrowed fine, if necessary, not bed
ding 1t. but laying it off two feet apart
each way. The seeds should be cover
ed simply by treading in with the
foot. Cultivate as soon as well up
and only shallow-just enough to break
the crust to keep down the weeds.
April is the month to plant, but a
fair crop can be made planted as late
as June 1.