The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1911-05-19

ravages of field mioe and rats whil'
the peanuts are in the steak.
The standard Of exoellence In the
peanut markets is always based upor
hand-psclxed stock but peanut-pick-
ing machines are now extensively uss'
There are machines that will pick from
, the vines $50 to 500 bushels of nuts
day.
AS the PEANUTS come from the hand
of the picksrs or from the machines
they have more or less dirt adherina
TO the pods. The extent 20 which
the pods must be cleaned and graded
will depend upon the use 20 which
they are put If for vending purpose:
but If for shelled nuts very little
work will be necessary to prepare
them for the shelter.
When the peanuts are received frocI
the farmer at the factory they are
weighed and then removed To the top
floor. From there during the clean
ing process they descend by gravia-
zion through the fans and graders,
are tumbled nj the polishing drums
with a small quantity Of marble dust
TO whiten and polish the pods and
they re passed on slowly moving
belts between lines of women who
pick out the foreign mattre and in
ferior nuts and finally the nuts drop
into bags on the lower floor
Not more than five or six distinct
varieties Of the peanut are grown in
the United States but these few va
rSsties represent at least three sspa-
rate types, including and the larger
poddsd or Jumbo peas the Spanish
and the African both small podded
peas. These types are swbdividsd in
to bunch and runner peas.
The Virginia bunch is large pod
ded variety, with usually two and
sometimes three seeds in a pod, and
the Virginia runner is also a large
podded variety. with pods and peas
very similar to those of the Virginia
bunch.
The Spanish peanut is a small pod
ded variety, containing usually two
SEEDS in a ped, entirely filling it.
The peas of this variety are rich in
oil.
The Tennessee red is also a small
poddsd variety, similar to the Span
ish except that the pods are longer,
sometimes containing five or six peas
crowded together.
The Valencia is a new variety in
troducsd from Spain, similar in many
respects to the Tennessee red, but of
much batter quality.
The African or North Carolina is
variety that is much grown in Africa
for oil production. The pod is of
msdium size, and generally contains
two peas scmstimes three.
For vending purposes, where the
peanuts are roasted and sold from
stores ard fruit stands and pushcarts
the large pOdded varieties, including
Virginia bunch and Virginia runner,
are most in demand.
But by no means the least value us
of the peanut is as a forage crop. In
Georgia and the Gulf States the pea
nut is extensively used for planting /
the alleys between the rows of corn.
After the corn is pulled cattle are turn
ed in to eat the fodder of tire PEANUT
tops.
Following the cattle the land is
paStured by hogs to clan up everythii e
that remains. In this way most of
the nitrogen stored up by the pea
nuts roots is left in the soil. Throug
out that portion of the Sou.hsrn Sta
tes where field corn does not yield a
satisfactory crop, the place of corn
for feeding 70 animals may be largely
taken by the peanut On some ranch
IS where a largo number of animals
are kept the Spanish peanut, includ-
ing the entire plant, is practically the
only feed ussd.
Many growers throughout the pea
nut area follow the practice of plant
ing several acres of Spanish pea
nuts and dlsposing of all the better
grade peas 10 some factory for she'll
Ing purposes the vines and poorly
filled pods being fed to farm ami
mails.
The peanut industry is large and
growing. Further facts about it, in
information regarding soil re-
qulraments and the preparation of the
soil and the use of fertilizers and
the ways of cultivation and about the
various kinds of peanuts and their
special characteristics and properties
and uses and the extent to which they.
may advantageously be used for for
aga purposes may be found In Farm
ers Bulletin 431 issued by the United
States Department of Agriculture.