THE FIELD PEA 379 



The marketable nuts are put into large sacks for the market, 

 while the smaller nuts are fed to hogs or other stock. The 

 vines from which the nuts have been picked are of con- 

 siderable value as forage. 



506. Uses of the Nuts. By far the greater part of the 

 market crop of peanuts is used in the production of peanut 

 oil, peanut butter, and other similar food products, salted 

 peanuts, and various peanut candies, though the quantity 

 of roasted nuts consumed each year is considerable. The nuts 

 are also fed to stock, particularly to hogs. The Spanish 

 variety is often planted in the South for hog pasture, 

 the hogs being turned in when the pods are mature and 

 allowed to root out the nuts. As both the vines and nuts 

 are eaten, this is a very economical method of producing 

 pork. The peanut vines, especially if the nuts have not 

 been removed, are very valuable as forage, and considerable 

 acreages are grown in the South every year for this purpose. 



THE FIELD PEA 



507. Origin and Description. The field pea, or Canadian 

 field pea, Pisum arvense, is a native of the region north of 

 the Mediterranean Sea, and the latter name has been given to 

 it simply because the plant is of more importance in Canada 

 than elsewhere in America. It differs little in appearance 

 from the common garden pea, except that the vines are 

 larger and more vigorous than those of most varieties of 

 the garden pea, and the flowers are usually pale purple or 

 violet instead of white. The vines reach a length of several 

 feet and some varieties l)ranch quite freely. The pods, 

 which are long and straight, contain several white or blue peas. 



508. Importance of the Crop. Field peas are mostly 

 grown in the states on the Canadian border and in Colorado. 

 One of the most important districts is the San Luis Valley 

 in the latter state. In Ontario and other portions of Canada 

 the field pea is much more generally grown than in the United 



