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

~ 80
The lime should be applied broadcas
after the land is plowed and thorough
ly mixed with the sod by narrowing
Where mari deposits are found TIT
mari may be used as a substitute fol
lime. 1t Is usually hauled and scat
tered broadcast upon the land during
the winter.
Tho Peanut as a Nitrogen Gatherer.
The peanut plant, In common will
other legumes, has the power of col
; lecting nitrogen from the air and stor'
ing it in nodules on it's roots. Fol
this reason the peanut is a very de-
| sirable soil-improving plant. L
| should be borne in mind, however
that in order to benefit the soil the
main portion Of the roots should bt
left In the ground. The nitrogen
gathering bacteria are usually present
in abur dance, even where the crop Is
planted for the first time. This Is es-
pecially true where the unshelled nuts
are planted. If the nodules are not
abundant on the roots, artificial inocu.
lation will probably prove an advant-
age.
Planting Peanuts.
The large-podded peanuts, such as
the Virginia Bunch and Virginia Run
ner, should be shelled for planting
while the small podded Spanish pea
nut is usually planted in the shell
The large-podded varieties have thick
shells and the peas do not fill the
pods, so that termination is retarded
The Spanish peanut has thin shells
and the pods are usually we'll filled
When planting in the pods it Is a
good plan tt soak the peanuts for a
few hours to hasten termination
After soaking, the seed should not be
allowed to become dry, as the vitality
is seriously injured by drying. Shell
ed seed should never be soaked.
The peanut should not be planted
until the soil has become quite warm
and, as Il rule, a little later than corn
The Spanish variety may be planted
later than the Virginia type, as 1t re-
quires less time to complete its growth
In most sections Of the cotton belt
the Spanish and similar varieties OF
peanuts may be planted after oats OF
other crops which come off early ir
the summer; that is, from the middle
of June to the last Of July. When
growing the Spanish variety for hog
feeding purposes it is a good plan tc
make three or four paintings, so as tc
have the plants come to maturity al
different times. The first planting
should be made as early as possible
and other paintings at intervals OF
three or four weeks until the first OF
July in the upper south and up to the
last of July in the lower south.
The best distance to plant peanuts
varies according to the soil and varie-
ty. The Virginia Runner variety or
good soil should be planted IL TO 1t
inches apart in rows at least SO inches
apart. Virginia Bunch peanuts are
planted in rows go to SO inches apart
and 9 to IL inches apart in the row
The Spanish and Valencia varieties
are planted in rows % to SO inches
apart and 6 to 9 inches in the row
When growing the Spanish variety
for feeding purposes it is advisable tc
| plant the seed 6 inches apart in rows
80 inches apart.
The quantity Of seed required tt
plant an acre depends upon the close.
ness Of the planting. AS a rule it re.
quires l 1-2 to 2 pecks of shelled Vir'
ginia and 1-2 pecks Of shelled Span
ish, or S to Z pecks in the pods, t.
| plant an acre. On light, sandy soils
the seed should be covered 1-2 to
inches and l inch to / IA inches or
heavy soils.
A large part Of the crop is planted
| with 1-horse planters. Some Of these
machines are designed for planting
the Spanish and similar varieties IL
the shell. Some peanut growers still
| plant by hand, opening the row will
a single-shovel pillow and dropping
| the nuts at the desired distance. Thu
row is then covered by means Of
| small cultivator with a notched board
| fastened across the back Of the nipple
ment.
The Cultivation Of Peanuts
The cultivation Of the peanut SHOULD
begin soor after planting and continue
until the vines occupy the ground. /
the surface of the soil gets hard be
fore the plants break through, it Is
good plan to run a weeder over tn
field to break the crust. AS soor a
the rows can be followed regular cul
tivation should begin. A 2-horse rid
ing cultivator is employed to a larg'
extent in the old peanut growing re
gions, although 1-horse c%ultivators ar
used by many farmers. A cultivato
will give better results than a SWEEP
or pillow. The surface should b,
stirred as soon as possible after
rain in order to prevent the baking
Of the soil.
After the peanuts begin to peg" o
form pods, they should not be dis
turbed or given further cultivation
For the last cultivation it is a common
practice to employ a c%ultivator tina
will roll the soil up under h branch
es, to provide loose soil for the pegs
to penetrate.
Rotation.
Peanuts should be grown in rotation
with other crops rather than as
speciality. For the best results tn
land should not be planted to peanut
oftener than once in three OF fou
years. A good rotation is corn wit
cowpeas between the rows, followe'
by winter oats. After the oats ar
harvested the land should be prepar
ed and Spanish peanuts planted. TIL
next veal cotton should be planted an
bur or crimson clover sown between
the rows of cotton at the last cultiva
tior. The clover is turned under tn
following spring and the land plante'
RI nnrp