478 SOUTHERN FIELD CROPS 



conveyed to the latter ; as a result, Spanish peanuts sprout 

 more quickly, if left in the land after maturing, than do 

 varieties with larger pods and more space Ijetween nut 

 and shell. Hence, Spanish peanuts must be dug or used 

 as hog feed soon after ripening, while the large-podded 

 varieties may remain sound enough for hogs to eat through- 

 out the first half of the winter. 



Spanish peanuts require less than four months from 

 planting to maturitjr, or at least a month less than most 

 other varieties. Hence they may be planted later. They 

 are sometimes planted after oats are harvested, but under 

 these conditions the jaeld is reduced. The latest date 

 for planting Spanish peanuts with the expectation of a 

 fair yield is about July 1, in the central part of the cotton- 

 belt. Spanish peanuts can be grown on poorer soil and 

 on soil with less lime in it than can most other varieties. 



458. Uses. — The peanut constitutes an important 

 human food. It is eaten roasted, for which use the va- 

 rieties having large pods are preferred. The shelled peas 

 are extensively used in confectionery, and to this use the 

 Spanish and the smaller peas of the other ^-arieties are 

 largely devoted. In Marseilles, France, and in other 

 localities in Europe, large amounts of peanuts from Africa 

 and India are converted into oil and peanut cake. Peanut 

 oil commands a higher market price than cotton-seed oil 

 and is largely used as a substitute for olive oil. There 

 is need for further investigation to determine whether it 

 is practicable for Southern cotton oil mills to manufacture 

 ]X'anut oil from some of the African peanuts, rich in oil, 

 which could doubtless be successfully grown in the 

 South. 



