The Savannah morning news., 1902-07-07


Properly speaking the peanut is not
nut in any sense, but a ground pea.
because it belongs to the pea family
and natures it's pods underground. The
climate in which the peanut attains its
pest development is one that has at
least five or six months of warm
weather, such as will be good for corn.
says Prof Van Deman. The best soil
Ior the peanut is one that is very loose
ana friable and it should be light in
color rather than dark. Black soil
gives the pods a dark color that is not
desirable in market. A light loan with
a tair proportion of sand and plenty of
humus is such as will allow the spikes
upon winch the pods are formed to
easily enter the ground.
me soil need not be very rich nor
should it be poor. It is not necessary
to fertilize with heterogeneous manures.
because they induce too much growth
OF leaves and prolong the ripening of
the crop. Being leguminous plant it
mas the popularity of appropria ting
nitrogen from the air, but potash
phosphoric acid and lime are needed
The latter is most indispensable ma
nure for the peanut, and should be
frequently applied unless the land is
wen charged with 1t naturally. Rv
proper rotation of crops, putting on
corn, sweet potatoes and other ordi-
nary farm crops once in every three
years or so, the land may produce
abundant crops of peanuts. After a
good crop of sweet potatoes the land
ought to be in fine condition for pea
nuts. These two crops work together
splendidly
Providing good, sound seed has been
procured in good time before spring
opens, carefully shelled and all defec-
1--WE peas sorted out, the planting NAV
pegln about the time for planting corn
There are two styles of laying out. One
is Tor drills and the other hills. I have
usually practiced planting in drills. and
that seems to be the generally adopted
plan In the large peanut growing Sec
tions. me rows are 3 feet apart; the
trailing kinds rarely require more than
3 feet and the upright kinds about 2h
Ihe seeds are dropped in a shallow
furrow and about 10 to u inches apart
The covering should be about 2 inches
or the same as for corn. BY the hill
system, which admits of working both
ways, the checks are made about feet
square and two or three seeds to the
hill.
If the soil has been thoroughly pull
Ner1zed before planting the tillage will
v.
good tools for working other crops are
suitable. BY beginning with weeder
before the plants appear above ground
and thoroughly narrowing the field, the
soil will be kept from crusting and all
weeds killed in the sprouting stage. BY
alternating with the weed and cultiva-
tor the plants may he kept in a thrifty
condition until the blossoms begin TO
appear. Then some advise killing a lit
tie and others leave the earth level II
has been the practice of some to ridge
Up as for sweet potatoes, but this has
not given so good a yield as level or
slightly elevated culture, in several
carefully made tests.
There are tools made especially for
loosening the plants in the rows ready
for lifting out with a fork Some of
the pods are sure to remain in the
ground. These may be raked out or left
for the pigs to clean up. The vines are
left in rows and after a day or two
for drying are placed in stacks not
more than 8 feet in diameter and or
feet high. Here they are left a month
or more to cure, when the pods are
picked off by hand. The tops make ex-
cellent fodder for all kinds of stock.