198 VEGETABLE GROWING. 



PEANUT. 



This plant has been introduced but recently to cul- 

 tivation. It is safe to predict that in fifty years from 

 now it will be one of the staple products of the South. 

 It is already such in Virginia and the Carolinas. By 

 chemists it is regarded as being of the highest value as 

 an article of food for man and the lower animals. It 

 is said to be more nearly a complete food than any 

 other crop that we raise. The oil has been used in 

 many places instead of olive oil, and those who are en- 

 thusiasts on the subject say that it is just as sweet and 

 good. The pure oil is nearly colorless, with a slight 

 odor that is not unpleasant, and a taste resembling 

 that of olive oil. It is largely used in soap making, 

 and can be used for lubricating purposes, also for burn- 

 ing. One bushel of unhulled peanuts yield about a 

 gallon of oil. The residue, after expressing the oil, 

 makes a good oil cake for stock, also a good fertilizer, 

 but it is too valuable for that purpose. Beside the 

 roasted peanut we have the peanut coffee, peanut 

 bread, and peanut hay. Pigs fatten rapidly when 

 turned into a pindar or peanut field. The hay will 

 be referred to again under the head of harvesting. 



SOIL AND PREPARATION. 



Peanuts want light, sandy soil, quite well drained, 

 but not dry. A warm location is preferred. It is 

 affirmed by persons who ought to know that there 

 must be a quantity of lime in the soil for this plant to 

 do well, but there is no record of experiments at hand 

 that proves this conclusively. In the absence of any 

 evidence to the contrary, we shall have to accept the 

 teaching as presented. The marls from the seacoast 

 are highly recommended. 



