Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1915-04-23
Value OF The PINDER
Cotton Belt Farmers Should Give II
More Attention.
EXPERT INFORMATION ON The SUBJECT
Special Agent for the Agricultural
Department Tells All About Soil,
Climate, Fertilization and cultiva-

[By H. c. Thompson, ~horticulturist,
J office of horticultural and pomolo-
gical Investigations, bureau Of plant
industry.]
The value of the peanut, both as a
money crop and for feeding on the
farm, makes 1t especially desirable In
the cropping system in some parts OF
| the cotton belt. The commercial value
| of the crop increased from s7,270,515
in 1899, to SIS, 271,9 1929 in 1909, and the
increase since 1909 has been even
| greater than before that year. These
| figures do not represent the full value
| Of the crop, for they do not take into
account thousands Of acres of pea
nuts grown for hog-feeding purposes.
The production Of peanuts for stock
food offers at the present time the
greatest opportunity for increasing the
acreage, as a few acres could be grown
proftably for feed on nearly every
farm in the cotton belt. The peanut
is one of the best hog foods that can
be produced, and it is also valuable for
cattle, horses, and mules. Poor soil
| can be improved very rapidly by
growing peanuts for hog-feeding pur-
| poses, especially If the hogs are turned
into the field and allowed to gather
| the nuts for themselves. Even if the
| nuts are harvested and fed to live
| stock, the soil will be improved II all
the manure is returned to the land.
The market demand for peanuts Is
growing rapidly. and this alone will
take are of a considerable increase in
acreage. In growing peanuts for
market, however, the beginner hould
bear in mind that it is necessary to
have certain machinery that Is not
| ordinarily found in communities where
peanuts are not commercially grown.
1t also should be borne in mind that
there are no we'll established markets
for peanuts in most sections Of the
| cotton belt and that the price in this
territory is governed by that paid in
| Virginia and North Carolina. No
farmer should go into the production
of peanuts for market without first
knowing whether the quantity grown
in his community will be sufficient to
justify buying the necessary ma
| chinery and to enable the growers t.
ship the product in carload lots.
Soils For Peanuts.
While peanuts will grow on nearly
any type Of soil, a sandy or sandy
loan soil, preferably light in color,
gives the best results. Dark soils or
those containing a considerable per-
centage of iron are likely to stain the
shells, rendering them less desirable
for market. For stock feeding, how
ever, the staining Of the shells is Of
little consequence. Soils that become
hard or compact are not adapted to
peanut growing, owing to the ina
bility of pod stems, or pegs" to PEN
citrate the surface.
Poorly drained or o u soils are not
suited to the peanut. The ideal soil
is a sandy loan containing a consid-
| cradle amount of humus or vegetable
| matter, together with ar abundance OF
lime.
Preparation Of the Soil.
The soil for the peanut should be
thoroughly prepared by blowing, har-
rowing and dragging or rolling. The
time to pillow depends upon the char
acter of the soil and it's previous treat
ment. Where there is no danger Of the
soil washing, fall blowing is advis-
able, especially if any coarse material
is to be turned under. Sod land
| should also be broken during the fall
or winter. On land where there is no
| crop the blowing need only be done
in time 10 allow the soil to settle be-
fore planting.
Land plowed in the spring should
| be narrowed a short time after plow-
ing in order to prevent the loss Of
moisture. Fall-plowed land should be
narrowed early in the spring and at
intervals of a week or ten days until
the peanuts are planted.
On soils fairly we'll drained, level
culture should be practiced, but where
the drainage is poor it is advisable to
throw up slight ridges upon which to
plant the peanuts. Where water
stands upon the land for IN consid-
cradle length of time peanuts should
be planted on ridges, which should
be as low and fiat as the conditions
will allow.
Fertilizers and Manures.
The peanut responds to the use of
commercial fertilizers when the soil
contains a reasonable amount of hu-
mus, but on soils that are adapted to
peanuts large quantities of fertilizers
are not necessary. A mixture contain
ing 2 per cent nitrogen, 6 to 8 per cent
of phosphoric acid, and 6 to 8 per
cent Of potash is recommended for
sandy or sandy-loam soils. This should
be applied at the rate Of 200 to 500
pounds to the acre, depending upon
will be difficult to get a fertilizer as
high in potash as the n mentioned,
but soils that have been we'll ferti-
lized in the past should produce a
good yield Of peanuts with 3 or 4 per
cent Of potash in the mixture. The
fertilizer is usually applied i'm a mar
row strip along the row, a One-horse
fertilizer distributor being often used
for the purpose. The fertilizer should
be thoroughly mixed with the soil
Barnyard or stable should not
be used the same year the peanuts are
to be planted, because of the large
number of weed seeds contained in
the manure. Fresh n has a ten
dency to cause the plants to produce
a heavy growth Of foliage with a
large percentage Of poorly filled pods
The manure. therefore, should be APP
piled to the crop grown the previous
season.
The peanut as n market crop, il
properly handled, is not exhaustive OF
plant food. In fact, the plant is a