The leader., 1904-10-08
FARMER AND PLANTER.
a GOOD MONEY CROP.
The Peanut NJ COmmercial rroa-
net ON the Farms 81 the
Southland.

cultivated wherever the dent corns ma
ture. II is by no means tropical
plant. The uses Of this plant in COM
merce and industry are numerous and
extensive. The present yield Of tho
crop in the United States might be
multiplied many fold without exceed
Ing the market demands
The peanut, Arachis hypogea. is
native Of the sandy soils Of South
America 1t belongs to the pulse or
clover family Of plants and, like the.
other plants Of this family, possesses
the power of taking nitrogen from the
atmosphere.
There are several varieties Of pea
nuts in cultivation, though those Of
practical Importance are only three.
These are the red and white Virginia
nuts and the Spanish, The two form
er are larger and contain less oil than
the Spanish variety. The latter is the
heaviest yielder.
In commerce the peanut is valued
mainly as source of oil. The cake,
after the oil is expressed, is used as a
food for man and beast. The so-called
Chocolate of Spain and Italy is SIM
ply the ground meal Of the peanut cake
favored with cinnamon and a little
cocoa. The dry straw, after the nuts
are removed, makes very nutritious
and eagerly eaten food for cows. AL
together the peanut is badly neglect
ed crop, which farmers in the central
and western states would do well to in
vestigate. 1t is known that the furth-
or north the peanut is grown the low
er the content Of oil and the higher the
percentage of protein it holds. The
northern grown nuts are therefore
more suitable for use in confectionery
and to eat out Of hand as roasted nuts.
The cultivation of the peanut is
quite simple. The seeds are removed
from shells before planting, though
many southern farmer merely soak
the entire nuts for "a hours be-
fore planting and then when dropping
into the. furrow lightly crush the shells
between the thumb and finger. When
shelled seeds are used about SO pounds
will plant one acre. The shelled seeds
may be sown with an ordinary corn
planter The drills are made about
three feet apart and two seeds are
dropped together every Is inches. Cow
ering should be about three inches
deep. The best land for peanuts is
rather light, limey loam Wet soil is
unsuitable. The best time for plant
ing is about ten days after planting
Dent corn. THE red nut is the earlier
north of the Ohio river. It's growing
season is about 80 days. The white
and Spanish nuts require about 100
days The temperature during the
growing season should not fall below
20 degree F.
In harvesting the peanut a sharp
blade or Sword" is welded to the
point Of a two-horse pillow from which
the mould-board has been removed.
This is run close to the row, the blade
passing under the row and cutting
off the tap root as well as loosening
the soil around the nuts. The plants
are then pulled up by hand aud laid
in windrows to wilt AS soon as wilt
ed, the plants are stacked around a
pole usually about ten feet high. The
stack is always thatcned with straw or
covered with hay cap until the plants
are dry. When dry the nuts are picked
by hand from the straw. The yield is
from 60 to IS bushels per acre, though
twice that amount has bee tecured on
experimental plots. The'N~ erage. price
for some years past has been 81 per
bushel on the farm.
The peanut offers special advantages
for the pork producing states of the
central west, where logs are fattened
almost entirely upon corn, producing
meat too fat for use as bacon and,
therefore commanding a lower price.
Peanuts, more particularly the Spanish
variety, make fine hog pasture and
the bacon Of hogs fed on these nuts
acquires something of a game flavor as
well as increase in the percentage of
lean meat. One acre of peanuts have
gathered, probably almost wholly from
the atmosphere, 16s pounds Of nitrogen
worth as commercial fertilizer $29. IN
addition the fedding value Of seed and
straw was about $45.
The peanut like all the ;egumines is
q rank feeder and requires an abund-
ant supply of lime, phosphoric acid and
potash Few soils contain a sufficient
supply of lime to insure a maximum
crop of peanuts. The following fer
tilizer can be recommended: 1900 lbs.
acid phosphate, $50 lbs. muriate Of pot
ash, so lbs. nitrate of soda. Mix and
use per acre from 500 to 1000 pounds.
After planting, or before, top-dress
with 1000 lbs. air Stacked lime per
acre Farmers Home journal.