The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1917-08-31
A FORTUNE IN PEANUTS.
Chas. L. Culton Has a SIS, 900 Peanut
Crop in Florida.

Crop in Florida.
An issue of the Pensacola (Florida)
Journal has reached our table, giving
an account of G. L. Culton's $50 acre
peanut crop in Santa Rosa county, Fla,
located few miles north of Jay. TIE
soil is described as being upland with
stiff clay subsoil. The correspondent
writes:
Three hundred and fifty acres of pea
nuts Three hundred and twenty in one
field! | stood at the fence and mile
on each side of me the peanuts ran and
lost themselves at the edge of the
woodland where the land began to rise
to the horizon-not foot of dirt show
ing! For this was 95 per cent stand
and the vines had made a solid mat.
And as the wind played across the
field, the green rippled in laughter just
like the sea under similar caress.
And this work had been accomplished
since last April, for though Mr.. Culton
purchased it in March and cleared be-
fore he could start the ploWs going.
Mr.. Culton planted five inches apart
in twenty-inch rows, simplifying culti-.
tion and practically doubling capacity
Only 500 pounds of fertilizer phos-
phate used to the acre, and the
per-plant yield has not suffered by the
crowding. l dug up plants in various
parts of the field and they all show
cup or cup and half of the Spanish
peanuts, and they are filled to bursting.
There are 80, 900 plants to the acre and
estimating the yield at half a cup
Quarter of pint) per stalk, the total
crop will be over 100 bushels an acre
say 35, 900 bushels in all.
"How much did it cost per acre to
make this crop?" | asked Mr.. Culton.
He gave me the figures and | checked
them carefully, at times increasing his
estimates to be on the safe side. This
he estimates SIS. 55 per acre.
The crop has not yet been harvested,
but the following estimates are be-
lieved to be accurate. The digging
will of course be done by machine,
operated by one man and pulled by two
horses. The catalog capacity is given
at ten or fifteen acres day. allow
five Picking will also be done by ma
chinery, for which the usual contract
price is ten cents bushel. Total ex-
penses per acre are therefore:
production ..................S l5 DO
Harvesting .................. Is SO i
Delivering ......... $1,000. 80
$34 95
Peanuts last year sold for $1.OO per
bushel. Mr.. Culton thinks they will
bring $125 this year. But suppose
they bring only $1.00. The per acre
value of the crop is 500, or $65. O5 net.
Call it, to be on the safe side, $50.
Then lop off so acres from the total $50
to allow for possible waste, and there
is net yield of $4,000, or more than
Mr.. Culton paid for the farm six
months ago.
But on the other hand, have not
credited the farm with the hay which
Mr.. Culton has already contracted at
SIS ton, on the ground, not even
baled, but just as it comes from the
threshing machine. AS the land is COW
cred with mat of vine averaging a
foot high, it is safe to assume that
there will be two tons of hay to the
acre; but / put the estimate at one,
consequently we have SIS more, not to
mention the SIS improvement per acre
in nitrogen gathered by the peanut
vines from the air and deposited in the
ground.