The Democratic advocate., 1909-04-30
GROWING PEANUTS
INTERESTING INFORMATION ABOUT
THIS GREAT AMERICAN LUXURY
This COuntry'S Crop Valued at Ten
Million Dollars

inosae, the order to which peas and
beans belong It Is believed to be a
native of Brazil, but this belief has a
good deal of the nature of guess, al
though a number of species are said
to be indigenous to that country. It
has, however, a footing on all the5 great
continents of the world, being found
in both torrid and temperate regions
which appears to indicate that IL has
been in existence for vast number of
years, as it takes q very long time for
such product to become so widely
distributed. 1t has been suggested
that the peanut had its origin away
back In the remote period when most
of the space covered by the Atlantic
Ocean was a continent that has been
named" Atlantis" This, OF course, is
merely speculation.
The peanut come to us under sew
eral names. IL is called in different
localities ground nut" "goober,"
"earthnut' and "pinder." In foreign
lands, where II has numerous aliases,
It has made its way into the hearts
(and stomachs) OF all classes OF peo-
pie, few of whom know that the an
nual crop in our country amounts TO
four million bushels of the value OF
ten million dollars. II has been an
important crop since about 1866.
The peanut is peculiar plant II
does not grow on vines or stalks above
ground like the tomato, for example,
nor does Il cling to the roots of the
plant, bel1w the ground, like a potato.
1t has a way of propagating itself, un-
like anything else In the fruit, vege-
table or nut line and Il seems to be
sort of combination between the three
nut, fruit and vegetable. II resem-
bles a nut In appearance, as most
everybody knows, being In she'll lt
also resembles vegetable, the pea,
for II is in a pod, and there are from
one TO three nuts in the peanut pod.
1t belongs to the clover family, and
gathers nitrogen from the air by
means OF it's roots, like beans and peas.
The peanut foliage is greedily eaten
by sheep, cows and mules. Ton for
ton, II is considered as valuable for
hay as good clover. A ton well cured
peanut vines will make as much milk
as a ton the best clover hay.
In Georgia, for example. peanuts
are planted In May and bloom IN June
and July, having beautiful purple
flower, not unlike the blossoms OF the
pea. Immediately after blooming the
plants begin TO pes" as the natives
term the process The peanut vine runs
along ON the ground, and at each end
of the joints IN the running vine a
peg" formation is seen issuing from
the points. This peg is about MS
large as a small match and bends
downward from the vine ana pegs"
3D.. 20 Naeh no
mellow earth, and the peanuts are
formed under the surface OF the soil
on these little pegs" or shoots. The
peanuts method of propagation is en-
tirely original. and, as has been men
toned, different from that Of any other
known plant
The soil best adapted for the pea
nut Is shady loan, light In color,
free from vegetable matter. unless IL
be thoroughly decomposed. Peanut
soil Is literally as mellow as an ASH
heap, and the experienced peanut rails
er prepares his earth thoroughly by
eliminating every spear OF grass and
every weed, for peanut culture cannot
be markedly successful unless this is
done.
The seed is first shelled by hand for
planting. as machinery -shelled seed
is more or less injured In Smelling.
Two peanuts are planted Ia each hill,
twelve to fourteen inches apart and
the rows are about two and half
feet apart.
The planting is done by a one-horse
peanut planter, very much like the
one-horse corn planter The seed is
planted two to four inches deep If
the earth is at all weedy or grassy q
cultivatoT is run between the rows,
even before the vine has appeared
above ground
AS son as the plants are we'll up the
"Hallock" or Breed" weeder, or some
similar implement is run, generally
diagonally, across the rows, both ways.
for the purpose Of keeping the ground
very mellow and preventing the
growth of grass or weeds
After the peanut blooms the soil
must not be disturbed, and before the
''pegging" takes place the vines have
usually covered all the space between
the hills and between the rows
In October, before frost, the nuts
are plowed out or loosened up by
means of specially made plows. After
the vines have laid In the sun a few
hours TO wilt the workers with pitch
forks lift them with the nuts cling
ing to them, and they are stacked.
Care is taken to turn the nuts inward,
so that the vines shelter or cover
them. Ii this Is not done the former
may become discolored by being ex-
posed to the sun or rain.
After few weeks the workers are
sent into the fields to pick the pea
nuts from the vines, and for doing
this they are paid lin Georgia) ten
cents per bushel. This is a regular
picnic for the hands employed, chief
ly colored people. It resembles hop
picking time In other parts OF the
country.
II the grower is in need of money
the peanuts are taken at once 10 the
nearest peanut cleaning establish
ment, where he Is paid at the rate of
two or three cents per pound If he
Is In position TO hold his product
until later In the season he Is almost
certain to receive higher price. The
nuts are handled by weight--twenty-
two pounds making a bushel and a
sack holding four bushels.
At the cleaning establishments the
nuts are carried by elevators to the
top of the four-story building, and
then begin their journey downward,
being cleaned and assorted as they 60,
until at the bottom they are run into
sacks, according to their grade, and
the sacks are sewed up. The peanuts
are then ready to ship.
Peanuts are cleaned by tanning and
by abrasion, also by brushing until
they look bright, clean and smooth.
Finally, they are carried slowly along
on endless belts, with the pickers
ranged on either side, to remove all
small, defective or discolored nuts.
nv fhig ilrocaSs when hasypod thav ara