Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-04-23

the soil. leaving the vines lying on the
surface. The machine digger costs
about SIS, so its s is only prac-
ticable where a considerable acreage
Of peanuts is to be dug. The digging
point of the machine digger can be sci
to cut off the root at any depth de-
sired.
After the peanuts are dug, a gang
of workmen shake the vines free from
the soil and throw them in small
punches. Where the machine digger
is used this shaking Is unnecessary
as the machine frees the peanuts from
the soil. The vines are left spread or
, the ground or in small punches fol
three or four hours and are then
placed in small stacks around a pole
to cure. If peanuts are allowed to
lie exposed for a considerable time
after digging, the pods become dis
colored and lose in weight and the
leaves drop off in handling.
The poles for the peanut stacks
should be three or four inches in
diameter and seven to eight feet long,
These poles or stakes are set into
the ground twelve to eighteen inches
and are we'll tamped to make them
firm. In setting the poles a crowbar
or a pointed bar Of iron Is necessary
to make the hole.
Before starting the stack one or
two pieces Of lath, scrap lumber or
sapling cut from the woods, about
eighteen inches in length, are nailed
at right angles to the stake eight
inches from the ground in order to
prevent the peanuts coming in direct
contact with the soil. In starting to
build a stack a few vines are laid
across these pieces, and the stack Is
then built up by successive layers of
vines, the pods being kept well to
the center against the stake and the
tops to the outside. The stems should
have sufficient outward slope to shed
water. Occasionally a few vines
should be hung around the stake in
order to tie the stack together. BY
this method the pods will be near the
center and around the stake, where
there is an upward circulation Of air
and general protection. When the
stack has reached the desired height,
a bunch Of vines is rolled together
and pressed down over the point of
the stake to form a top, or a little dry
grass or a few weeds may be used for
this purpose.
It Is not advisable to use anything
for topping out the small stacks that
will prevent the circulation of air,
A heavy cover OF a covering Of green
or wet hay will invariably cause the
peanuts to spoil.
Curing in barns Is not advisable
either when curing peanuts for market
or where the entire plant is fed to
stock, as the crop will cure better in
small stacks than when stored In
bulk. After the nuts have been cured
in the stack from four to six weeks
those intended for feeding purposes
may be stored in barns or sheds.
Picking and Thrashing Peanuts.
least three or four weeks before pick
ing or thrashing in order to allow the
pods to become dry and the peas firm,
Peanuts are still picked by hand in
some sections, especially when the
grower has only a few acres. Hand
picking is a very laborious and dusty
task, but hand picked nuts are the
standard Of excellence on the market
The expense Of picking by hand is
greater than by machinery, and as 1t is
difficult to get enough labor for hand
work machines are used by practi-
cally all large growers.
Two types of macines are used for
| picking peanuts from the vines. The
common grain thrasher with a special
cylinder for peanuts gives quite sat-
isfactory results in removing Span
ish peanuts from the vine. The prin-
cipal objection to cylinder machines
is the tendency to break the pods
but by running the cylinder about 400
revolutions per minute and by feed
ing properly, the breakage car be
reduced to a very small percentage
If the peanuts are to be shelled soor
after they go on the market, the
breaking Of pods is not very objec-
tionable. When oats or wheat are
grown in localities where peanuts are
raised, the cylinder machine can be
used for all Of the crops by having
two cylinders, one for grain and one
for peanuts.
The peanut picker works upon ar
entirely different principle from the
| cylinder machines. The picking is
done by dragging the vines over 6
horizontal frame covered with wire
mesh. The nuts drop through the
wire and at the same time rubber
brushes attached to an endless chair
act on the lower side Of the screen t.
remove the nuts. In addition to re.
moving the pods from the vines
these machines have cleaning anG
st emming devices which remove the
dirt and the small stems from the
pods. The picker type Of machine
does not break or injure the pods, ant
for this reason it is especially desir.
able for picking peanuts that are t.
be sold in the pod or stored through
the summer months.
After the peanuts are picked they
should be stored in a dry place, pre-
ferably in a proof building. i
the peanuts are damp after their re
moval from the vines they should b.
spread on a floor or stored in a wei
ventilated building. When the pod:
are dry they may be put into bags a
they come from the machine.
Varieties Of Peanuts
The principal varieties Of peanut!
grown for market are the Virgini;
Bunch, Virginia Runner and Spanish
For roasted peanuts sold in the poo
the virginia tyne Is mainly grown