The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1917-02-22

age can De TeQuCeQ W d very SAnoih
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, the cylin-
der 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
horizontal frame covered with wire
mesh The nuts drop through the
wire and at the same time rubber
brushes attached 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 cleansing 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 it is especially
desirable for picking peanuts that
are to be sold in the pod or stored
through the summer months.
After the peanuts are picked they
should be stored in a dry place, pref
erably in a mouse-proof building. If
the peanuts are damp after their re-
moval from the vines they should be
spread on a floor or stored in we'll
ventilated building. When the pods
are dry they may be put into bags as
they come from the machine.
AS already mentioned, the peanut
is a valuable crop for various types
of live stock, especially hogs. Few,
if any crops, will Produce more
pounds of pork on an acre of land or
produce it at lower cost per pound
than peanuts. A 40 bushel crop OF
ESpanish peanuts will produce 400 to
500 pounds of pork to the acre, and
if the hay is harvested before the
hogs are turned in it will nearly pay
for the cost of growing the crop. In
addition to the profit of the pork, the
crop producing capacity of the soil
will be materially increased. BY max
ing successive paintings, as previous
ly suggested, the earliest crop should
be ready for the hogs by the first OF
August, and the last crop should be
available until the ground freezes. In
pasturing hogs on peanuts, it is best
to confine them to small areas by
using portable fences rather than to
let them have the run of the whole
field.
Peanuts for Live Stock.
In some of the Southern States the
peanut is extensively used for plant
ing between rows of corn, the pea
nuts usually being planted at the last
cultivation of the corn. After the
corn is harvested cattle are turned
in to eat the fodder and peanut tops.
Following the cattle, the land is pas
tured by hogs in order to clean up
the peanuts. In this way the stub
Bile and roots of the peanuts supply
humus and most of the nitrogen
stored in the nodules on the roots is
left in the soil.
| In addition to growing peanuts to
be fed in the field, the crop can be
cured as described fora market crop
| and stored in sheds or barns for
winter feeding. The entire plant is
very valuable feed for nearly all
classes of live stock and can be fed
economically. For dairy cows, the
whole peanut makes almost q ball
anced ration. Peanut hay, consist
ing of the entire plant after the nuts
are removed, has a much higher feed
ing value than any Of the grass hays
and about the same value as clover
hay. A good crop of peanuts grown
for market should yield ton or
more hay to the acre.
When peanuts are harvested for
market hogs are usually turned into
the field to CLEAN whatever is left
after digging. Many growers fatten
two hogs on each acre of peanuts so
harvested.
Hogs fattened exclusively on pea
nuts will not yield desirable grade
of meat or lard, as the meat will be
soft and the lard oily. BY feeding
almost exclusively on corn for the
last two or three weeks of the fat
tening period this difficulty will be
overcome. Sweet potatoes and pea
nuts together make good ration for
hogs, the sweet potato furnishing the
carbohydrates and the peanut the