The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-06-15
Oats-No. 2. 36 1-491-2; No. 2, white
IS 1-4Q39; standard, $685.
PEANUT CULTURE.
Continued from Page Flve)

them produce. In plawing or cultivat-
ing 1t, it is customary to put more
dirt to peanuts than cotton, to freshen
| the ground and cover grass, which
saves hoe labor. Peanut plants, even II
covered entirely, will come through
again, but this retards the growth OF
the vine. Many cover them up, grass
and all, to prevent hoeing, but 1t is
| improper, and shortens both the yield
| of nuts and vines.
| To tell when they are ripe, the vines
will begin to turn yellow, and spotted
as if matured. Pull up a bunch here
and there, and if about all the peas are
grown and shell thickened, they are
ready to gather. Get two mules and
hitch double to a turning pillow that
will admit Of the wing being taken OF.
This plow should have a long shank or
standard, so the beam will clear over
all vines, and it will not choke in
blowing. Take off wing as before
i stated and run under all roots, and
this will loosen the ground so that
they will come up readily when taken
| hold of by the hand. Following this
| blowing, each man takes two rows,
| shakes out the dirt and puts four
rows together in piles. The poles are
set by one man deeply In the ground
| and thoroughly tamped. Twelve inches
from the ground two sticks about two
inches wide and one inch thick and If
| teen inches long are nailed to this
post, crosswise, one over the other.
| The peanuts are stacked by starting
the foundation on these sticks until
you get the base of your stock. Now,
place the nuts next to pole and the
vines outward. They will dry thor
oughly and cure the vine nicely. The
stacks should be capped with crab
| grass to prevent the water from run
ming down the pole, witch often causes
the hulls to mildew; though this does
not affect the sale materially. This
method of harvest is quickly and easily
done, and especially when the hands
| become accustomed to It, Here the
polls are set soon after peas are laid
| by, at odd times.
| After the peas are stacked, sow the
field down to a crop that con be turned
under for the next crop.
| The next is threshing. In some sec
tons, contractors owning thresher
and engine, take contract for doing
| this work The thresher is placed IN
| convenient location to peas, where they
are threshed at given price per
| four bushel sack. Threshers are made
of different sizes and capacities, rang
| ing from 100 to 500 bushels per day.
The price per sack paidNvaries accord
| ing to conditions, etc. generally 10 to
liz 1-2 cents per bushel going to the
thresher.
The Spanish peanut weighs 30
pounds to the bushel, and brings this
year lis to $1.25 and up; for CONNER
cial peas, $1.65 and up for good seed
peanuts. which are select stock.
| Experience shows that peanuts are
a crop that should be grown in ro-
tation all through Florida, as no crop
paws better for expense of culture and
harvest.
As to Sales and Manufacture.
These four ushel sacks, weighing
120 $50 pounds, according to quality
and solidity of the nuts, are taken to
what is called a factory, where the
peas are shelled by machinery, graded
| and re- sacked, and are sold to buyers
in various cities for many uses. A
great many of these shelled peas are
used in the penny peanut slot machines
and for making peanut candy, sailed
peanuts, peanut waters. etc No doubt
many of them are used in making oil,
peanut butter, and some of which is
! distributed to the commercial trade IN
many forms.
To make peanut is one thing, and
| to manufacture them is another. The
Smelling plant Is a paying one where
enough peanuts are raised to justify It,
It is a commercial commodity. Make
peanuts and they will sell as readily
as cotton.
| Seed germ1nate quicker ana betIer
when shelled, although those with thin
hull, such as the Spanish, Suhe Crop
and Virginia terminate satisfactorily
when not shelled. Unshelled seed must
be planted thicker to insure good
stand; If too thick, plants can be easily
thinned.
One of three bushels of unshelled
peanuts will plant an acre, and from
four to six ounces of unshelled pea
nuts will SOW a hundred feet OF row.
Varieties of Peanuts.
No. l. Improved Valencia grows
very tall and has some tendency to
spread. This variety is usually very
prolific. The pods contain from three
to five seed, which is larger than the
Spanish peanut. They are of a dull,
red color, and about as early as the
Spanish.
| No. 2. North Carolina Bush grows
tall and stands very erect. 1t has very
prolific pod clusters around the main
root. Pods contain from three to four
seed, of a dull, red color; both pods
and seed are of good size, and about
as early as the Spanish
No. 3. Virginia Bunch makes
short. stocky growth, with large guam
tity Of pods clustering around the main
root. About 100 days are required to
lnnakurA a cP0p Of. mods the mods heinR