OTHER HOT-SEASON ANNUAL LEGUMES 547 



of their acreage in 1909, North Carolina, Georgia, Virginia, 

 Florida and Alabama. 



The varieties most cultivated are the following: Vir- 

 ginia Bunch, Virginia Runner, Tennessee Red, Valencia, 

 and Spanish. All of these have decumbent branches 

 except Spanish. 



Peanuts are planted in late spring after the ground is 

 thoroughly warmed. They are usually planted in rows 28 

 to 36 inches wide and 9 to 16 inches apart in the row, 

 depending on the variety. The Spanish variety may be 

 planted more closely than others, and on this account, as 

 well as its erect habit, is practically the only one used 

 where the entire crop is to be used for hay. 



Peanuts are usually harvested by piling the vines in 

 tall, narrow cocks about a stake with cross pieces near 

 the base. When thoroughly cured, the nuts are removed 

 and the straw used as fodder. The yield of fodder 

 ranges from about 1500 to 3000 pounds or very rarely 

 4000 pounds to the acre. 



If grown for forage, the same method is commonly used, 

 but sometimes the tops are cut and cured for hay, and hogs 

 then turned in the field to feed on the pods. As a hay 

 plant the peanut cannot compete with the cowpea and the 

 soybean, but as a crop to be pastured by hogs it has con- 

 siderable importance. 



Peanuts are not infrequently used as pasture to fatten 

 hogs. From hogs thus fattened the famous Smithfield 

 hams are made. Bennett, at the Arkansas Experiment 

 Station, pastured pigs on peanuts andonchufas in compari- 

 son with penned animals fed corn. The pigs on peanuts 

 showed a gain of 104J pounds a pig ; on chuf as 66 pounds ; 

 and on corn 112^ pounds. Duggar, at the Alabama 

 Experiment Station, found that one acre of peanuts would 



