The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-02-26
HOW The PEANUT
IS HARVESTED
Women and Children Are a
Great Deal More Expert in
Work Than. Men.
WEATHER MUST BE GOOD
The Price Paid for Picking Is Abouf
10 Cents a Bushcl and Three to
Four Bushels Is Considered
a Good Days Work.

New Orleans Times-Democrat: Peanuts
are harvested in October In all the larga
peanut-growing states. The harvesting
must always take place before frost, TO,
the nuts and haulm are both greatly in.
jured, If not ruined, by frost. If the fab
should be wet or the peanuts mature very
early, many Of the hrst-formed nuts will
be ruined by sprouting. Dry weathes
should always be selected for harvesting:
1t cannot be done when the ground is wet,
for then the dirt will adhere to the nuts
and ruin them, or at least greatly detract
from their market value by turning then
black.
The crop Of white peanuts is harvested
by running a furrow on each side of the
row with a bull-tongue pillow or a pea dig
ger. so as to dislocate the roots. Care
must be taken not to detach the nuts frol.t
the vine In running the side furrow. Aftc;
the pillow has been run on each side of tho
row (and 1t Is sometimes necessary to run
twice on q s.de) then lift the vines gently
with the hand, carefully shaking the dirt
off. and lay them on the ground. Let them
remain in this way, If the sun is shining,
from six to eight hours. The vines viii,
wilt like clover, when they may be brought
together and stacked. The stacks art
made around a pole planted in the ground
and rising some eight feet above the sur.
face. A platform made OF Old rails rests
upon logs placed around the pole, and
upon this the stack is built. The platform
protects the nuts and vines from the mold
and dampncss of the ground. In stack,
ing the nuts should be put on the inside
next to the stack pole, but not SO close as
to prevent the air from circulating freely
from the bottom to the top of the stack
To make the stack entirely secure IL
should have a Gaping Of hay or corn
fodder. Put up in this manner, the nuts
will keep securely all the winter should it
be desired.
The red nuts are more easily harvested
than the white, as they nave but few
roots and the nuts adhere closely about
the stem. In loose land they may be
pulled up without running a furrow on
each side Of the row, though to do this viii
make the work much easier. There ara
but few red nuts now grown. An over
production of them for q While reduccA
prices below the cost of the labor in pre-
ducing them.
Usually the nuts are allowed TO stand In
the stacks about four weeks and are the1
picked Off by hand, the white always. Tho
red nuts are sometimes threshed off by
taking up bundles and beating them
against q rail or the side Of a box. This,
latter plan greatly Injuries the peanuts.
Five to six bushels OF red peanuts can be
picked off the vines in n day by a nimble.
fingered person, but the picking of three
to four bushels of the white is considered
q good days work. Women and children
are said to be much more expert in this
work than men. The price paid for pick
Ing is about 10 cents a bushel. After this
they ought to be SCI aened in a cylinder, SO
as to separate them from the rust and
leaves, and also for the purpose of bright.
ensng the hulls by abrasion. After SUNK
ming they are put in sacks containing four
% five bushels.