The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-02-22
PEANUTS IN COTTON BELT.
Nav Be Profitable Industry for his
Section.

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improved by growing peanuts for
, hog breeding purposes, especially II
the hogs are turned into the field and
allowed to gather the nuts.
The demand for peanuts is grow
| ing rapidly. In growing peanuts for
market. however, the beginner should
bear in mind that it is necessary to
| have certain machinery that is not
| found in communities where peanuts
are not commonly grown. 1t should
also be borne in mind that there are
no we'll established markets for pea
nuts in most sections of the cotton
belt and that the price is governed by
that paid in Virginia and North Car
olina. 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 machinery and to enable
the grower to ship in carload lots.
While peanuts will grow on nearly
any type of soil, sandy or sandy
loam soil, preferably light in color,
gives the best results. Dark soil or
those containing considerable per-
centage of iron are likely to stain the
shells, rendering them less desirable
for market. For stock feeding pur-
poses, however, the staining of the
shells is of little consequence. Soils
that become hard or compact are not
adapted to peanut growing, owing to
the inability of pod stems, or "'pegs,
to penetrate the surface.
Poorly drained or sour soils are
not suited to the peanut. The ideal
soil is sandy loan containing a con-
siderable amount of humus or vege-
table matter, together with an abun-
dance of lime.
Preparation of the Soil.
The soil for the peanut should be
thoroughly prepared by plowing, har-
rowing and dragging or rolling. The
time to plow depends upon the char
acter of the soil and it's previous
treatment. Where there is no dan
ger of the soil washing, fall plowing
is advisable, especially if any coarse
material is to be turned under. On
land where there is no crop the ploW-
ing need only be done in time to al
low the soil to settle before 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 ad-
visable to throw up slight ridges up
on which to plant the peanuts. Where
water stands upon the land for any
considerable length of time peanuts
should be as low and fiat as the con-
ditions will allow.
The large pod plants, such as Vir-
sinia Bunch and Virginia Runner,
should be shelled for planting, while
the small podded Spanish plant is
usually planted in the shell. When
planting in the pods, it is a good
plan to soak the peanuts for a few
hours to hasten termination. After
soaking, the seed should not be al
lowed to become dry. Shelled seeds
should never be soaked.
The peanut should not be planted
until the soil has become quite warm,
and as a rule little later than corn.
The Spanish variety may be planted
later than the Virginia type. In
some sections of the cotton belt the
Spanish and similar varieties may be
planted after oats or other crops
which come off early in the summer.
When growing the Spanish variety
for hog feeding purposes, it is good
plan to make three or four plant
ings, so as to have the plants come
to maturity at 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 va
riety. The Virginia Runner variety
on good soil should be planted II to
Is inches apart in rows at least sc
inches apart. Virginia Bunch pea
nuts are planted in rows 80 to 36
inches apart and 9 to II inches apart
in the row. The Spanish and Va