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soil and the quantity of grass that may have sprung up since planting.
Usually the first working should begin by the time the plants are two
weeks old, but if the land is mellow and there is but little grass, the
work may be put off a week longer. But if rains have occurred and a
crust has formed, and especially if grass is coming on rapidly, the
planter should not wait for the plants to attain a certain age and size,
but should proceed to work the crop as soon as the plants are clearly
out of the ground, and have put forth one or two branches. Any practical
farmer who knows how to plow and weed young corn, will not be likely to
err very far in working a crop of peanuts. The operation is simple
enough, the two points being to clear away the grass and make the soil
fine and loose around the plants. Any plan of working that will secure
these ends, will accomplish the purpose.

=Subsequent Workings.=--The second plowing may be done with a
cultivator, running twice in the row. This will level the ridge in the
middle of the balk, make the soil loose and fine, and bring the loose
earth up close to the plants, which will make easy and nice work for the
hands with the hoes unless there is a great deal of grass. The second
plowing and weeding is the most important working the crop receives, and
it is highly important that it be done well. By this time (last of
June), the days are long and hot, the grass everywhere is growing apace,
and the Peanut must be kept growing too. The plants have now attained a
size ranging from that of a saucer to that of a breakfast plate, and
there will be some hand-picking of grass necessary, because some of it
will be found growing too near the plants to be cut away with the hoe.
If there is very little grass, the work goes on smoothly enough, the
hoes proceed quite rapidly, three hands keeping up with one plow, and
finishing about two acres a day.

The third plowing may be given with a shovel or cotton-plow, or with the
cultivator, again running twice in the row. The hoes need not follow at
this plowing, but may wait until the fourth plowing, done usually toward
the middle or last of July, or about the time the vines are a foot in
diameter, and are sending down their peduncles, or stems, on which the
young pods are forming. The plants begin to blossom by the first of July
or before, and continue to flower for more than a month. The pods begin
to form very soon after the flower appears, and by th