PEANUT CULTURE

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXX, Issue 21597, 15 September 1933, Page 4

PEANUT CULTURE

• A VALUABLE CROP PROSPECTS IN DOMINION FOOD FOR MAN AND BEAST BY I/.W.D. The peanut has been grown in small quantities in different parts of New Zealand with considerable success, and, because of its value as a food and as a soil improver, it may be of interest to consider, briefly, its cultivation. Now Zoaland imports most of its supply from the East Indies, whero the peanut is grown by cheap labour, but there is no reason why it should not be grown on an agricultural scale hero, both for stock feeding and for human consumption. The fresh seed is more valuable than the imported seed of uncertain age and origin. The main objection to its cultivation is the rather ted'ious method of planting by hand, but on a large scale it would be well worth a fanner's while to use simple planting machinery.

The peanut is an annual, leguminous plant, and grows to about a foot in hoight. It has showy, yellow male flowers and tiny female flowers, that occur in clusters at the junction of the leaves with the stem. After fertilisation the stalks of the female flowers elongate and plant the young pods in the soil, where they ripen. Soil Requirements

We usually associate the peanut with the United States. Certainly, that country is one of the principal growers at the present time, but the peanut came to America with the slave traffic from Africa. Actually, it is said to have originated in South America, but today it is grown in almost every country in the world where the climate is suitable.

It will grow in almost any welldrained soil which is not too heavy, but it does best on black, sandy soils with a high humus content. Sandy soils are definitely desirable when the seed is to be grown for human consumption, because in the ripening the soil falls cleanly away from the husk and no further treatment is necessary. Where the seed is being grown for stock .feed this consideration does not apply. In preparing the soil the objective should be to get it into a mellow condition, deeply cultivated and frpe from weeds. Growing a cleaning crop beforehand is an excellent practice, as it lessens the likelihood of having to disturb the plants during the latter stages of growth. The peanut responds to liberal manuring, and after a preliminary dressing of lime, a composite manure, say, of superphosphate, blood and bone manure and kainit, will pay for itself many times over. Preparing the Land

Usually there ib a tendency to use seed of mixed type and of unknown origin. This is an unsound practice, as an even crop is to be desired, particularly if the crop is destined for the seed market. Each of the neanut-growing States in America have evolved its own variety. Probably that from Virginia would be the best for New Zealand conditions. The seed is best freed from the shell, but great care is needed in the shelling, as the waterproof coat must not be broken nor should the seed be split. The usual method of planting is to plough a series of furrows 2jft. apart in which to distribute the manure. A second ploughing forms ridges over the earlier furrows. The tops of the new ridges are flatted down with a board till they are about 2in. above the normal level of the field, and in the flattened ridges the seed is planted, two to a hole, about 2in. deep and Bin. apart. There is probably no special planting machinery in this country and the seed would have to be planted by hand, a factor that makes the peanut, to some eitent, uneconomical to grow. Time can be saved by rigging up a planting wheel with projections at the correct intervals to make holes of the required depth. In these holes tho seed is dropped and covered by a light pressure with the foot. Subsequent cultivation must be done carefully. The ground' must be kept free from weeds and as loose as possible, and care must be taken not to injure the roots of the plants, or, later on, the planted pods. By cross cultivation a small hill is formed round each plant. The harvesting is dono by loosening the soil round tho plants and lifting them carefully, throwing them into windrows at convenient intervals. They are then stacked round poles, say, of tea-tree, with a little brush at the base to keep the plants off the ground. Here they are left till the seed has matured. Harvesting the Crop If grown in parts of tho country where tho autumn weather is uncertain, this part of tho harvesting would be better carried out in dry, airy ) sheds, as would the subsequent collection of, the so-called nuts themselves. A yield of up to 50 bushels to the aero can be looked for on suitable soil given the right growing season. The peanut has many uses. We know it in the form of peanut butter and as a straight-out food. It provides one of the most highly prized vegetable oils. As an agricultural crop it is well worth investigation in this country. It has a high feed value for all classes of stock, particularly for pigs when fed in the . field, and for cattle. The plant is a soil improver of considerable merit, !and the value of manure from animals that have been fed on it is greatly enhanced. ' An even rainfall during the growing period is essential. When the plant is fairly well grown it spreads its leaves after each rain, and by covering the ground prevents excessive evaporation. Like all other oil-bearing plants, much of its success depends on the weather at harvesting time. It should do best in New Zealand in thoso places where I there are hot, dry spells at harvest time.