302 WALDRON— THE PEANUT 



Introduction 



"Few plants present as great interest or diversity of problems for 

 botanical study as the peanut. Agriculturally it is of great import- 

 ance as a soil renovator and forage plant. From an economic stand- 

 point, its products are of great value, every part of the plant being 

 of some direct or indirect use. The peanut, potato, cotton, tobacco 

 and Indian corn, — five plants which are exerting great influence in 

 the world's commerce and industries — were contributed by the new 

 world. The peanut, although still in the background of some of 

 these, promises to rival, if not surpass, them in importance. It is 

 often grown in the economic house of botanical gardens and as a 

 novelty out of doors. After a brief botanical study of the plant from 

 the morphological standpoint, certain problems were presented 

 which bear an important relation to its physiology, and are rather 

 striking in their bearing on some well known ecological problems. 

 A study of the history of the plant, and brief discussions concerning 

 its economy in nature and its utilization by man, have now been 

 taken up in succeeding pages. The writer, in here recording these 

 observations, feels that he has made but a beginning and hopes to 

 continue investigations in the future. 



The writer wishes to express his grateful appreciation to Professor 

 John M. Macfarlane, of the University of Pennsylvania, for his 

 many suggestions and kind guidance in working up this treatise. 



History 



Introduction. With few exceptions, authors agree that the ori- 

 ginal home of the peanut {Arachis hypogaea) is uncertain. In the 

 mind of the writer, there are sufficient facts at hand to state definitely, 

 as have one or two already, that it is a native of Brazil, although, 

 as with many other extensively cultivated plants, it has never been 

 recognized in the truly wild state. There is no evidence to contra- 

 dict the view that it is a native of this part of South America. The 

 writer gives below a synopsis of his studies regarding the native 

 home of the plant and its history so far as known in relation to man. 



Early American Records. The earliest mentions in any existing 

 literature are those pertaining to Brazil and Peru, and these ante- 

 date any found in European works. Acosta , in his work published 

 in 1598, refers to it along with other plants which are native to 

 Brazil, and calls it "mani," a name still applied to it among Spanish 



