4 The Bulletin. 



Characteristics. — The appearance of the vines of the peanut vary 

 somewhat with the variety, the bunch varieties having an upright vine, 

 whereas the flat have a trailing vine. However, the foliage of all varie- 

 ties is somewhat similar, resembling to some extent the clovers. There 

 is a main branch or limb from which emanate the other branches, and 

 along these branches are the small leaf stems, on each of which are two 

 pairs of oval-shaped leaves, which have the peculiarity of closing their 

 upper sides together with the approach of night. 



At the joints along the main branches appear the small yellow blos- 

 soms. The blossoms last only a few hours, and when they fall off, the 

 flower stem curves downward and enters the mellow earth. It is the 

 enlargement of this stem, or the ovary, that makes the fruit. If this 

 stem, or peg (as it is commonly called), fails to enter the soil, on account 

 of a crust or any obstacle, there will be no fruit. Hence the great neces- 

 sity of keeping the soil in a mellow condition during the fruiting period. 



Description of Varieties. — There are several varieties of peanuts 

 known ; however, those of most importance to the farmers of North 

 Carolina and Virginia are the Virginia and Running varieties, the 

 North Carolina Bunch and Running (much the same as the Virginia), 

 the Spanish, and the Wilmington or North Carolina. Some of these 

 varieties are more adapted to certain sections than to others. For in- 

 stance, in Brunswick and New Hanover counties the Wilmington pea is 

 grown to the exclusion of all others. Along the Roanoke River the 

 Spanish is grown more than any other. The latter is the best to grow 

 for hogs and stock, for the reason that it will grow on any soil that the 

 cowpea will, and without the use of lime and land plaster. The large 

 varieties are the best sellers, as the bulk of the American crop is sold by 

 vendors on the streets, and the large peas are prettier and fill up faster 

 than the small. 



The Bunch varieties have an upright vine, sometimes growing to a 

 height of twenty and twenty-four inches. A field of these just before 

 frost has very much the appearance of a clover field. The nuts are 

 larger than with the ordinary flat peas and are more uniform in size, 

 making this variety a better seller. The fruit is produced in a cluster 

 around the tap root, whereas with the flat peas the nuts are spread 

 over a much larger area just under the lateral branches. The hull is 

 a hard, woody substance, with a netted surface, containing from one to 

 three kernels. 



There is a variety known as the Jumbo Flat, which is rapidly gain- 

 ing favor on account of its size and large yield. The Wilmington has 

 a trailing vine and a nut much smaller than the common Flat pea. The 

 Spanish has an upright vine and is the smallest nut of any. 



