Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-12-01
RAISING PEANUTS
IN OLD VIRGINIA
7sxrins the Life Story OF the stiye
HoDber from Planting to lie
ROaSter

-1-a,ees,~ said Miss Boston to Mr..
southland, as she was looking over
"a Virginia plantation.
Mr.. Son HAND looked his surprise,
sand she hastily added.
..Dr do they grow on bushes like
+sss1rrants?'
Finally convinced that the question
sr1as genuine, Mr.. Southland to her
sesss . large field where the peanut
wines, heavily laden with the fine
Yo eanuts. were being shocked up to
9omplete the ripening process, and
z;aahe young lady learned that tie pea
nslut like the potato, grows under
aground and not on tree or a bush.
ks1anding her a large bunc, still
sSenng1ng to the strong roots, Mr..
= Asouthiand said: ~
The seed from which thes, pea
s1mn1s grew was planted about five
Enlonh s ago, SO you see it takes more
7fztIme TO grow small peanut fhan to
Sszea1se a big potato. The best and
s57sargest of these peanuts will. be re-
sserv1d for next years planting.
We do not plant them in the
j, sshe1l, but you will notice when the
Epeannf Is opened that there is lit
. Tile round piece at the point of the
= smut between the two halves, this Is
Z i1he seed from which the new peanut
-sgrows. 1t Is not necessary to re-
xznDve the thin skin, which in the
yroasted peanut, bought at tie pea
(which You see in this ne ily dug
peanut is delicate pink.
The Planting.
After the shells are removed the
sseeds with their thin jackets still on
care put into a peanut planter, which
Sis an implement drawn by a horse
land worked in much the san way
Szss pillow, only of cousse tie land
mas been previously plowed. harrow
ved and fortified in prepare lion for
she planting. A pole is set up so
t&udt LIE uIiNST can SIteF straight
G course, fer the field may be half a
smile long, and by and by When those
Yong ribbons of green Ire shown in
sthe sprouting vines the lines must
asIof be curved or crooked, otherwise
che farmer would be subject of
scriticism by his neighhors When
tShn hooin tn Nor
there are often, here and there, bare
spots, and then comes tie replant-
ing. With a pocSetful of seeds and
a sharp stick the farmer walks over
his field, punching holes md drop
& ping seed where it is needcd.
after a few weeks the cultivator
rs run through on each .ide of the
rows to remove the weeds, and this
rs repe ted once or twice until the
vines grow SO large that the cult
gator cannot be used. TIE crop is
then laid by and left unmo,ested UNI
: 81, about The first of Oetob Or until
an examination OF one or two vines
SLOWS that ii is time for digging.
Are Hug With plov.
we do not dig peanN S with a
hoe, but use a pillow, which loosens
all the vines so that they can be
readily gathered UP. Taen we cut
amndreds of ssakes about seven feet
long. which are driven firmly into
the ground at regular intervals. The
vines are then gathered up and
packed around these stakes, few
short stakes being laid underneath
10 raise the shock a Ii tic from the
ground so that the air eaa circulate
more freely. A good She sker makes
"a very symmetrical pile. AID it is not
surprising that a northera ser looking
s.rem a distance at enc o. our large
fislds with its regular s, ocks look
ing like neatly trimmed trees in
sluired if it was a eemetery.s,
Having all our vines securely
STACKED, we leave them TO dry and
'ft'le nut shells to harden in. the open
air for two or three wees and pray
that we will have no warm rains dur.
ing the time, for warm, rainy wealth
ger is likely to blacken the shells
and lessen the market value of the
nnts. The mute themse. es are. no,
hurt and those with b'aes.s SHELLS are
sold to corfs etioHers All for vari
Gus ether pa-noses, where the ap
pearance of The nut is not Of 81
much importance as when it is Il
figure in peanuts. five cents bag
s'roposition.