The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1920-07-23
BIGGER PEANUT
ACREAGE URGED
e-ArE AGENT McQUARRIE Ex-
AIMS METHODS OF CULTURE
AND HARVEST FOR BEST RE-
SUITS. ,.,-.-.---....--
|MNM
(By c. X. McQuarrie.)

THE peanut crop In the southern
..at.s is assuming a more important
10sition year by year as our farmers
ars beginning to realize its value.
This is a crop that can be grown
- any of our ordinary farm lands
tba+ are we'll enough drained to avoid
ling covered by water during
sair[, time. and our limestone soils
- The central and western counties
~, oenccially suited for the produc-
ion Of this profitable crop. The
C,anish variety of this crop can be
Ai,rtad I'D to the 1st of August and
live satisfactory yield to the pro-
Queer.
This crop is utilized for two diff
,orant purposes. One is for live stock
Tooding either by grazing hogs on it
IN the fall or harvesting and feeding
a. occasion demands it; the other is
nrodnction for the vegetable oil mills
This latter industry has assumed
very important place within the last
few wears, and farmers are begin
ming to realize that money can be
made by growing a peanut crop for
the oil mill, and the resultant by
products make the best concentrated
live stock feed to be had from any
source.
What we want especially to say at
this time regarding this crop is the
necessity of clean cultivation and
nroper methods of harvesting and
stacking when the crop is made.
The best stage at which to harvest
this crop is a problem to some farm
ers but it is recommended that when
ever the vines show spotted cond1-
ton of the leaves this indicates that
the crop is fully made. There may be
some nuts not fully developed, but we
recommend the harvesting at this
stage so that the vines can be saved
as well as the nuts. Some of our
farmers NOW the vines and harvest
the nuts without them; others turn
in the hogs on the fields and let tho
hogs do the harvesting. This is not
to be recommended except in linn
tied degree. as bunch of hogs turned
in on a large fled are apt tc de-
velop indigestion and retard their de-
velopment, as this feed is very high |
in protein and should be balanced
by some other feeds. such as corn |
or beans, but by fencing the field off
III btIldII SSCLlOtlS anu pIONIulIIS JULIET
feed, there is no better hog feed |
known than peanuts and corn or |
beans with it, and plenty of succu- |
lent pasture should also be provided. |
The method recommended for har- |
vesting is to take up the entire crop |
by means Of regular peanut dig |
ger, Irish potato digger, plow or |
sharp cutting sweep, and Immediately |
after harvesting they should be |
stacked in the field. If the vines are
allowed to lie in the field for too
long after being dug the hot sun will |
diminish their value as hay, and the
crop should be staked the day It is
dug if possible.
The best method Of stacking is
around poles in the field. Ten-foot
poles are recommended, set about two
feet in the ground, with substantial
cross bars nailed fully a foot above
the ground. The vines should be laid
on these bars carefully, with the nuts
always toward the poles, and care
should exercised that the stacking is
done uniformly around the pole so
that there will not be a higher side
to 1t after the crop is cured. This
STACK can be made ten or more inches
ABOVE the pole, and as they settle |
pack in curing the pole should ap-
pear Just few inches above the top. |
FORK full of hay should be thrown |
On the top after finished for the pur- |
pose OF shedding rain. If more am
PIE protection should be required, or
aihary roofing paper cut the desired |
lengths and hole made for the pole
70 come through can be laid on top.
Some farmers object to stacking in
the field as it interferes with planting
d winter cover crop, but if the rows
are laid off straight, not less than
1orty Feet apart, considerable dis
lance is allowed here for the purpose
u pioWing. preparing and sowing the
winter grain cover crop. A careful
man can plant a winter cover cron
%''nout very much loss of land, even
S"ouiu heavy peanut crop be stacked
IN the field.
This winter will probably see the
ooSt or live stock feed higher than
ever known. Our corn crop is short.
Gnu probably other important crops
%"' De somewhat short, owing to I'M
.a'o'dole conditions in the spring, and
very farmer should make it a point
~, save all the hay and forage and
o.Her Iced crops possible SO as to
a,o'u buying any material grown else
mere. The farmer with a crop for
sale Is IN far moro satisfactory con-
- financially and otherwise than
s'0 farmer that has to scurry along
r.. eoruary or March and buy feed
MI MS HVe stock at a very high
p,;J ana we hope that our farmers
s,,'. take this into consideration and
or,e 10 best advantage everything
SFo"n on his farm.