| Show PEANUTS VALUABLE AS FEED FOR LIVE STOCK IN MOST SECTIONS OF THE SOUTH of A RONNIE Y spa f ra za 1 Z J za FIELD OF PEANUTS GROWN FOR FORAGE IN TEXAS prepared by the united states depart ment of agriculture Aerl culture the peanut Is I 1 one of the more important crops grown in the south tor for feeding to hogs thousands of acres being grown for that purpose few if 1 any crops will produce more pounds ot of pork on an acre of land or produce it at a lower cost per pound A good crop of peanuts will produce at least pounds of pork per acre and it if the hay is harvested before turning the hogs bogs into the patch it will practically pay the cost of growing in addition to the profit on the po pork rk the crop producing capacity of the soil will be materially inn serially teri ally increased due to the addition of humus and nitrogen this Is very important as much of the land in the peanut growing sections Is deficient in both by making successive plantings of peanuts at intervals of 15 to 30 days it Is possible in most sections of the south to have peanuts a available v a ila b 1 e f for the hogs bogs from midsummer m e r u until n t ll 11 t olle the end of november in pasturing hogs on peanuts it Is best belt to confine them to small areas by using portable fences rather than to let them h have ave the run of the whole field plant between corn rows in some sections of the southern states the peanut Is planted between the rows of corn elther either at the time the corn Is planted or at the last citi cultivation ti after the corn is harvested cattle are turned in to eat the fodder and peanut tops hogs are then turned in to eat the peanuts in this way the stubble and roots of the peanuts auprly humus and most of the nitrogen stored in the nodules on the roots Is left in the soil hogs fattened exclusively on peanuts do not yield a very desirable grade of meat and lard ns as the meat is soft and the lard oily this can be remedied to a large extent however by feeding corn and other feeds along with the peanuts in addition to growing peanuts to be fed in the field the crop can be cured and stored in barns or sheds tor for winter feeding the entire plant Is a very vali valuable lable feed for nearly all classes of live stock peanut hay consisting of the entire plant after the nuts are removed has a much higher feeding value than the grass hays nna ana about the same value as i clover nay the average yield of peanut hay is about two thirds of a ton per acre with acres of peanuts the estimated acreage for 1917 there would be produced about tons of peanut hay with a value ol of at least the peanut Is especially valuable as a crop to be grown for feed in the drier sections of the southwest where it is impossible to grow corn to advantage peanuts will withstand drought better than most farm crops in some regions where corn will not produce five bushels per acre peanuts have proved very satisfactory the crop Is of value also on land carrying a considerable percentage of alkali peanut meal a product byproduct by from peanut oil manufacture Is a highly concentrated cent rated feed the meal made from shelled nuts contains about 43 45 percent protein 6 to 9 per cent fat and 23 to 24 per cent carbohydrates meal made from the unshelled nuts contains about 30 per cent protein 6 to 9 per cent fat and 21 to 22 per cent carbohydrates the meal from shelled nuts has about the same feeding value as cottonseed meal and can he used for the same purpose with the shortage of feeds high in protein the demand for peanut meal at a good price will probably exceed the supply it is especially valuable for dairy cattle aud hogs and has been used to furnish a large percentage of the protein in a home bome mixed horse feet feed in fact one large farmer has been using peanut meal for several years for feeding work horses and claims that it Is the cheapest protein feed he has ever used it can be in quite large quantity ln in connection alth ft knottier bother feeds without injurious effects when fell fed to hogs bogs peanut meal does not produce soft pork and for this reason it is preferable to raw peanuts shells for feed peanut shells which accumulate in large quantities at cleaning an and shelling factories are sometimes ground with low grade peanuts and sold for feed the shells however have practically no feeding value as they consist largely of crude fiber all peanut feeds should be sold on the basis of their protein fat and carbohydrate bo content rather than on the ton basis for example TTO pounds ot of meal made from shelled peanuts has practically the same feeding value ns as 1350 pounds of meal made from unshelled nuts these amounts represent tile the meal left ns as a product byproduct by from peanut oil manufactured from a ton of farm farmers erst stock spanish peanuts dealers selling peanut meal should show on the label whether it is made from froal shelled or unshelled nuts in fact this is required by law in some states |
