The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1921-08-11
HISTORY OF PEANUT CROr

Nv Theo. G.. Strunk, Club Member
On June 3, 1921, | broke, narrowed
and marked my ground. June 9 !
went to Hensley e. Davidson's and
bought ten cents worth of Old Vir-
ginia peanuts, which brought home
and shelled. Then l made up my
hills, using a fork of manure per hill,
covered over with my sandy loan
soil. Having made my hills, ] plant
ed three nuts in each hill, patting
the soil firm to hold moisture.
The entire crop was up by June 10,
with the exception Of three, which
were taken up by mole. They were
plowed for the first time, June 20.
7 plowed close to the vines in order
to get the ground in very loose con.
dition, as peanuts grow very much
better in a loose soil Then with my
hoe I made away with the remaining
weeds and grass, and also raked a
small amount of soil to the young
plants. On the 5th of July took the
plants thru the same hoeing as June
25. excep. / raked more soil to the
plants this time. The peanuts were
blooming July IL, and on July IA l
went over them and put dirt in the
center of the cluster in order to
spread out the vines so that so much
energy would not be wasted sending
shoots into the ground thru so much
space as it would otherwise; these
shoots have the peanuts on the end,
and, this being the case, We readily
see that if all the food is used to
grow the shoots, the peanuts will
come up missing. 1t is wonderful to
see the shoots of my peanuts run
ming into the ground from the vines,
which are rapidly increasing and
spreading.
A few words concerning the peanut
crop is appropriate at this time.
Soils for Peanuts
"Hile peanuts VIII eEoW vi Hedfiy
any type of soil, a sandy or sandy
loan soil, preferably light in color,
gives the best results. Dark soils or
those containing a considerable per-
centage of iron are likely to stain
the shells, rendering them less desir-
able for market. For stock-feeding
purposes, however, the staining Of the
shells is Of little consequence. Soils
that become hard or compact are not
adapted to peanut growing, owing to
tie inability of pod stems, or "pegs,"
to penetrate the surface.
Poorly drained or sour soils are not
suited to the peanut. The ideal soil
is sandy loan containing consider.
able amount of humus, or vegetable
matter, together with an abundance
of lime.
Preparation of the Soil
The soil for the peanut should be
thoroly prepared by blowing, harrow
ing, and dragging or rolling. The
time to pillow depends upon the char
acter of the soil and its previous
treatment. Where there is no danger
of the soil washing, fall blowing is
advisable, especially if any coarse
materials to be turned under. Sod
land should also be broken during the
fell or winter. On land where there
is no crop the blowing need only be
done in time TO allow the soil to
settle before planting.
Land plowed in the spring should
be narrowed a short time after plow-
ing in order to prevent the loss Of
moisture. Fall-plow land should be
narrowed early in the spring and a,
intervals of a week or ten days I'M
til the peanuts are planted.
On soils fairly well drained level
culture should be practiced, but where
the drainage is poor, it is advisable 70
throw up slight ridges upon which to
plant the peanuts. Where water
stands upon the lend for any cons.d-
cradle length of time peanuts should
he planted on ridges, which should
be as low and fla as the conditions
will allow.
Fertilizers and Manures
The peanut responds to the use OF
commercial fertilizers when the soil
contains a reasonable amount Of hu-
mus, but on soils that are adapted
to peanuts large quantities Of fer
tilizers are not necessary. A mixture
containing 2 percent nitrogen to 3
percent of phosphoric acid, and 6 to
percent Of potash is recommended
for sandy or sandy loan soils. This
should be applied at the rate Of 200
to 800 pounds to the acre, depending
upon the character Of the soil. The
fertilizer is usually applied in mar
row strip along the row, 1-horse
fertilizer distributor being often used
for the purpose. The fertilizer