You will doubtless be surprised to learn that the groundnut is really only a species of the familiar peanut. So it is really an old friend with a new name. It is sometimes called ground pea, or earth nut. The former name is given to it because its pod resembles the pod of the pea vine.
In the southern portion of the United States a similar nut bears the name gouber. Not only are the nuts of this plant of value as an article of food and commerce, but the vines form an excellent fodder for cattle.
CHAPTER LII.
VARIETIES OF VEGETATION.
In the Barbary States, which border upon the Mediterranean Sea, there is an extensive cultivation of grain. Wheat, barley, maize, rice, and a variety of corn called Kaffir corn, are found in considerable quantities. Figs and olives thrive luxuriantly, and pomegranates, grapes, and melons abound.
Tobacco has been introduced and has been cultivated to quite an extent. The white mulberry tree is also cultivated, for use in the silkworm culture. Here, too, are found the indigo and cotton plants, together with the sugar cane, while most of the kitchen vegetables of Europe are easily cultivated.
South of the Barbary States, in the mountainous districts of the Atlas range, is found a peculiar kind of timber growth. It bears the name sandarach, and is almost imperishable. It is generally supposed to be the same species of wood mentioned as the shittim wood in the Scriptures. The ceilings of the Mohammedan mosques are largely, if not exclusively, built of it.
Passing beyond the chain of the Atlas Mountains, the vegetation changes. There are now but few trees, and there is a noticeable dryness in the atmosphere. It is in these regions that rain seldom falls, while such is the heat of the winds that it is scarcely bearable even by the natives.
Here, the palm, by divine Providence, affords a grateful shade. The mass of foliage formed by its fan-like leaves is almost impervious to the scorching heat, and beneath its towering yet graceful form the orange, lemon, pomegranate, and vine flourish. Strange to say, their fruits, grown thus in the cooling shade, seem to acquire a peculiar richness of flavor not noticeable in those grown in the ordinary way.