The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1917-10-09
PEANUT HARVEST
Yield II Expected 10 Run IS To 10
Bushels Ia the Acre IN
Carter County.

Harvest OF the Spanish peanut has
been begun in Carter county. About
$50 bushels have been marketed the
past few days. although this IA consid'
cred exceptionally early.
An Ardmore peanut authority es'l
mates the Carter county Yield at IS 10
AZ bushels to the acre and figures that
In the neighborhood OF 1000 acres are
under peanut cultivation in this county.
Under the present conditions, In
general. Il In now what We would term
harvest time" he said. 1T would. Of
course, be impossible To 20 into details
the general condition is favorable for
Il successful harvest. The soil Is dry
and the vines are ripened and the crop
liz nearing uniform maturity. There wis
"a light frost last night. and heavier
frosts may be expected. az we have had
n general wave OF low temperature.
The following Is a brief description
for the aid OF the farmers who may
not be familiar with the process OF
digging and curing:
AN ordinary stalk cutter blade, or
bar Of plow steel. about .twenty-four II
twenty-eight inches long and about
three to four inches wide, bent to the
shape Of a heel sweep. or possibly a little.
nearer straight and set little fiatter 10
the soil with good cutting edge, is
what tx general recognized as q simple
and practical peanut digger. This blade
is attached to a cultivator. a footpiece
ho1 al IN nd Of nd ,t,ha cnf
in the row should be so adjusted as to
run a uniform depth just below the
cluster Of peanuts around the tap root.
but cut of the greater part of the top
root and leave IL in the ground, as II
is splendid fertilizer and has no other
value.
Two good live hands can follow The
plow. and with pitchforks throw about
three rows in one. shaking the dirt and
gravel from the vines. This can follow
pretty closely after the plow. Af'cr
twelve to twenty-four hours sunshine
the peanuts are sufficiently cured 10
shock safely and sometimes could be
stacked without danger, but that is
when extremely matured before digging
and on dry soil and no dew or showers
follow the digging. OF course the nat
has good feed value even If put up too
soppy and even if soured little. but
II is then no good from a factory point
of view. II is never best to stack until
the nuts rattle freely and the leaves
fall off when the vine is shaken.
I'm shocking place the nuts toward
he center as uniformly as possible, keep
ing the center a little high as in stack
ing bound oats. If vines are dry enough
that leaves viii crumble press them
closely in the shock, but if not so dry
do not press them, as it will exclude
the air and the plant will not cure
properly and might mold both vine and
kernel.
Peanuts can be successfully threshed
or. picked in from four to twenty days
after digging of not stacked But IL
stacked they should not be disturbed
until after the natural sweat which
varies from twenty to forty days.
Always top stacks with sorghum or
something similar. in order to turn wat
er. as the vine itself does not unless
very carefully placed.
cured and preserved. generally com
mand the best price on the market. be-
cause of the time of the season they
are offered and also due to certain or
positive cured kernel. where there is
no risk or shrinkage for the buyers to
consider.
Every farmer should take special
pains in curing his crop this year in
order that II may he easier another
season. He also should take notice of
the best portion of the crop and draw
from that for his next years seed.
Have this seed graded before planting.
which will insure better and larger pea
! nuts next year.
Most factories will grade seed pea
nuts at a nominal price"