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FIXED OILS. 
Groundnuts. ( Arachis hypogaea ). — This is an an- 
nual herbaceous plant the seeds of 
which yield, when expressed, the well-known ground- 
nut or peanut oil of commerce. It is a plant which 
is cultivated extensively throughout the tropics, and 
one particularly suited to the requirements of a 
small holder. 
There are a large number of varieties known to 
cultivation, the most common being the so called 
Mauritius, Senegal and Spanish types. 
Cultivation . — The plant thrives best on sandy or 
loamy soils, heavy or stiff clays being unsuitable 
owing to the difficulty with which the pod stems 
penetrate the soil. It is essential that the land be 
clean and free from weeds before planting. The soil 
should be either changkolled or forked to a depth 
of about 6 inches and then made up into ridges from 
lYi to 2 ft. apart. The shelled seed is then sown 
about 2 inches deep and 15 to 18 inches apart on 
the ridges. The best time for sowing is at the. 
beginning of a rainy season. During the period of 
growth little cultivation beyond weeding is necessary. 
Harvesting . — The crop matures in about 3 to 5 
months according to the variety of the seed and the 
nature of the soil. When the stalks and leaves of 
the plant begin to wither, and the skin on the kernel 
has turned pink, the crop is ready for harvesting. 
After collection, the nuts should be throughly dried 
in the sun before being stored. 
The .plant is rich in nitrogen, so that after the 
harvest the stalks and leaves should be ploughed 
in as a green manure. 
