400 FIELD CROPS 



of the hay is about the same as cowpea hay, though stock 

 do not eat the stems and pods as readily. As pasture, they 

 are hardly so good as cowpeas. The grain is very rich in oil 

 and protein, but contains little starch. In combination with 

 corn, they produce very economical gains when fed to cattle 

 and hogs. As the seeds are hard and not easily crushed by 

 stock, they are usually ground and fed as meal. In China 

 and Japan, the seed of the soy bean is an important article 

 of human food, and is also used in the manufacture of oil. 



THE PEANUT 



511. The Peanut, Arachis hypogea, differs from the other 

 members of this family which are commonly cultivated in 

 that the seed pods are produced below the surface of the 

 ground. The peanut is believed to be a native of tropical 

 South America; it is one of the few leguminous plants native 

 to the New World which have found their way into culti- 

 vation. The plant produces many leafy stems, from 12 

 to 18 inches tall; the leaflets are three in number and about 

 1 inch long. The flowers, which are produced in the axils of 

 the branches, are small and yellow. After the flower falls 

 away, the stem on which it grew elongates and enters the 

 soil, and the pod or nut then forms below the surface. For 

 this reason, peanuts can be grown best on loose soils. 



512. Importance. While we ordinarily think of peanuts 

 only as we commonly see the roasted nuts for sale on the 

 street corners, the seed is largely used in other ways, and 

 the vines make excellent forage for stock. The peanut crop 

 of the United States is worth perhaps fifteen million dollars 

 annually. It is largely produced along the Atlantic Coast, 

 the sandy lands there being particularly adapted to it. 

 The larger portion of the crop is grown in Virginia, though 

 it thrives under proper soil conditions throughout the South. 



