434 LEGUMINOUS PLANTS. 



are of the red variety. The usual yield per acre is from 

 thirty to fifty bushels, though as high as 100 bushels 

 are sometimes made. The white peanuts will make from 

 ten to twenty bushels per acre more than the red, but not 

 being so easily cultivated or gathered, they are considered 

 less valuable. 



The analysis of the peanut, according to Antisell, husk 

 and nut, shows it to contain in 100 parts : 



Water, 2.60 



Albuminoids, fibre and starch, 79.26 



Oil, 16.00 



Ash, 2.00 



Loss, 14 



The seed alone contains in 100 parts : 



Moisture, 2.51 



Albuminoids and farina, 79.71 



Ash, 1.77 



Oil, 16.00 



The husk contains about one-sixteenth of the whole 

 weight of the peanut. The ash consists of soluble phos- 

 phates of soda and ammonia with a small amount of com- 

 mon salt. Super-phosphate of lime ought to be a good 

 manure for them. 



The seeds of some varieties are said to contain from 40 

 to 50 per cent of oil resembling olive oil and used for simi- 

 lar purposes. A large amount of the oil is used in the 

 manufacture of soap. Peanuts are also used in making con- 

 fectioneries, and are eaten like almonds and other nuts. 

 The haulm or vine, when carefully harvested before it has 

 been injured by frost, is considered an excellent food for 

 cattle and sheep. Horses are also exceedingly fond of it, 

 but the large amount of dirt which necessarily adheres to 

 it is apt to produce a disagreeable cough in horses. The 

 red peanut makes better hay because it grows erect, and is 



