LEGUMES FOR FORAGE AND GRAIN 321 



height from one to two feet, and in the erectness of the stems with 

 variety, some varieties growing almost erect, while others are 

 more or less prostrate. The flowers are small and yellow in 

 color, and are produced on small stems growing from the axils 

 of the leaves. After the bloom falls, the flower stem elongates 

 and grows into the ground. The tip end soon enlarges and 

 becomes the pod which 

 incloses the nuts. 



329. Adaptation. — 

 The peanut is a tender 

 plant, and is easily killed 

 by frost. It is grown suc- 

 cessfully only in warm cli- 

 mates with long growing 

 season. In the United 

 States, they are grown 

 principally in Virginia and 

 North Carolina, certain 

 parts of Tennessee, Ar- 

 kansas, and Alabama, and 

 in a smaller way in almost 

 all sections of the South- 

 ern States. They are also 

 grown extensively in 

 India, Africa, and South 

 America. Peanuts, since 

 they produce the nuts 

 underground, are best 

 adapted to a loose, loamy 

 soil. Peanuts of the best 

 quality have light shells 

 and grow in light, sandy soils. Heavy soils are not suitable for 

 growing them, because the nut-bearing stems cannot penetrate 

 the ground readily and because heavy soils stain the hulls. The 

 best yields are produced on soils well supplied with lime, and it 

 is often necessary to supply lime to those deficient in this element 

 before a profitable crop can be grown. 



330. Uses. — "Fresh roasted peanuts" is a familiar phrase 

 to any one who has attended a circus or a county fair, and 



Fig. 118.- 



-Root of peanut 

 pods. 



plant, with 



