Tensas gazette., 1917-12-14

little dry grass or few weeds may
be used for this purpose.
| 1t Is not advisable to use anything
Tor topping out the small stacks that
VIII prevent the circulation of air. A
heavy cover or a covering of green OF
wet hay will invariably cause the pea
nuts 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.
Where stakes are difficult to secure
ana labor Is scarce peanut growers
sometimes rake the peanuts into wind
rows with hayrake and stack them
like hay. In doing this they should
cure a little longer before stacking
than when they are to be stacked in
small stacks around stakes. If the
weather is dry during the curing and
stacking and hogs can be turned into
the field to save the peanuts left, there
Is very little loss by this method.
Picking and Thrashina.
Peanuts should cure in the stack at
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. The expense Of picking by hand
is greater than by machinery, and as
1t is difficult to get enough labor for
handwOrk machines are used by prac-
ideally all large growers.
Two types Of machines are used for
picking peanuts from the vines. The
common grain thrasher with a special
cylinder for peanuts gives quite salts
factory results in removing Spanish
peanuts from the vine. The principal
objection to cylinder machines Is the
tendency to break the pods, but by
running the cylinder about 400 revolu-
tiOns per minute and by feeding prop
erly the breakage can be reduced to
very small percentage. If the peanuts
are to be shelled soon after they go
on the market, the breaking of the
pods is not very Objectionable. When
oats or wheat are grown in localities
where peanuts are raised, q cylinder
machine can be used for all of these
crops by having two cylinders, one for
grain and one for peanuts.
The peanut picker works upon an
entirely different principle from the
cylinder machines. The picking is
done by dragging the vines over a hOri-
ZOntal frame covered with wire mesh.
The nuts drop through the wire and at
the same time rubber brushes at
tached to an endless chain act on the
lower side of the screen to remove the
nuts. In addition to removing the
pods from the vines. these machines
have cleaning and stemming devices
which remove the dirt and the small
stems from the pods. The picker type
Of machine does not break or injure
the pods, and for this reason II is
desirable for picking pea
nuts that are to be sold In the pod or
stored through the summer months.
Storing on Farm.
The farmers safeguard in the m y<
ter Of prices obtained for peandts
lies largely In his ability to hold at
least n portion of his crop through the
winter. Farmers should be prepared
to hold their crop for a time rather
than place 1t upon the market during
the autumn, when the prices are gen.
orally lowest. In order to do this, suit.
able storage facilities are necessary.
Frequently the bags Of peanuts are
simply piled in an open shed or in a
barn, where they are not properly pro-
tected. Occasionally the bags are
stacked upon the ground in the field
without even the protection Of a cam
vas cover. Neither of the methods
mentioned should be followed, because
The peanuts would be injured by mois-
ture and subject to the ravages Of
rats. mice and other rodents. A build
ng suitable for storing peanuts need
not be expensive, but should protect
hem against injury by moisture and
rodents and provide sufficient ventila-
ion. A building constructed Of rough
lumber with an iron roof is satisfac-
tory for storing peanuts. provided It Is
,uilt up from the ground and all OPEN
ngs for ventilation are screened to
Keep out mice and rats.
Storing In Warehouses.
In many sections of the South pea.
nut growers can secure storage space
n large commercial warehouses. It
would be much better to store the crop
n such houses than to put them in
structures where they
would be subject to injury by moisture
md mice and rats. Where no salts
factory storage facilities are available
( Is best to market the crop as soon
is 1t Is ready, in order to prevent seri-
,us loss.