The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1918-09-22

properly thrs.hed. Therefore, it !.
my opinion that the first .tep tC
properly harvest the peanut crop j,
the careful preparation OF the sol
in the spring oil the year before the
crop is planted A. far as possible
corn stalks or cotton stalks that
have been lett in the ground should
be removed
Where new ground is planted il
peanuts it should be thoroughly
raked and any small limbs or roots
that may have been LETT ON the
ground should be removed. In har-
ye,tng peonutS where these stalks
or sticks have been lett in the
ground they will stick 10 the root,
in harvesting and il is hard To get
them out when it comes to threSh-
ing and a very large percentage will
come through with the peanuts
which, of course, will hurt the
grade.
Then comes the cultivating.
Where this is properly done and
the fields kept free from grass and
weeds harvesting is made easy. but
it is 4 very difficult matter to har-
vest 4 crop that has become foul
with grass or weeds. 1t is almost
impossible to harvest them without
leaving 4 very large percentage in
the ground and equally as hard to
get good results from threShing, but
where the crop is kept clean and pea
nuts are properly harvested and
cured the threshing can be done
without a great deal OF trouble Be
fore harvesting the peanuts the far
mer should be sure that the nuts
have fully matured. At the same
time he should be careful not to
leave them in the ground long
enough after they have matured un-
til they begin to sprout. They will
do this very q'SCE Y around harvest
ing time. especially when rain falls
Just about the time the patch is
ready to dig. Where peanuts are
harvested before tie nut is fully ma
tured there will be large percent
age Of pops and immature nuts and
Of course this results in low grade
after the crop has been threShed.
Gathering the Crop.
The government bulletins above
referred to explain how in harvest
ing the vine should be looSened by
cutting the tap root and how the
vine should be picked up by hand
and the dirt and sand shaken off
and then put in shocks around poles
about six feet high. 4 great many
farmers seem to misunderstood this
shocking and feel that it is neces-
5ary for the peanut TO be dug 4 day
Or two before being put in shocks.
This is not the case. Peanuts should
De shocked JUST as soon after they
are dug as possible and by all means
he same day. This is especially true
n Texas. The peanut vine should
Tot be allowed to dry out in the hot
sun but should go through the pro-
,ess OF gradually curing in the
shock, the difference being that the
,ine laying in windrows in the hot
,un both vine and nuts dry out too
quickly and are very brittle. The
line breaks up badly in threshing, !
he leaves do not stick to the vine
md the hay is not as good as when
properly cured. The peanuts are
lso brittle and ii threshed by a cy-
inder thresher a large percentage
# them will be broken up, running
he grade of the peanuts as well as
making greater loss for the pro-
.ucer. Where peanuts are badly
roker up in threshing you will al
;ays lind 4 very large large percent
ge OF crushed up kernels mixed
With the dirt under the thresher
or which the farmer can receive alb
olutely nothing, 1t is very neces-
airy in digging for the dirt to be
'ell shaken from the vine because
left with the vine, the dirt there
fleets the value Of both peanuts
nd hay, because when the vines 60
trough the thresher this dirt and
and either crusheS up into fine dust