"Why, of course they do," answered Bert.
"I thought that nuts grew on trees," said Harry.
"Father says that the peanut is not a real nut," replied his friend. "He says they should be called ground nuts or ground peas." He pulled up one of the vines, and the boys threw themselves down under a tree to examine it.
When the small clods of soil clinging to the roots of the plant had been removed, Harry saw a number of pods which he recognized as peanuts.
Opening one of the pods, Bert took out the kernels.
"These," said he, "are the seeds, and they are planted much as other seeds are.
"Before they are planted the shell must be removed, but we have to be careful not to break the thin skin that covers the kernel. If that be broken, the seed will not grow.
"The kernels are planted about one foot apart, in rows that are, as you see, about three feet apart. Sometimes they are planted by hand and sometimes by machinery."
"I wonder if peanuts are raised in the country around New York," said Harry.
"No, I think not," replied Bert, "for they are very easily killed by frost. Great quantities are raised in North Carolina and in Tennessee. Father says that the negroes of western Africa raised them long, long before they were known in the United States. He says that they are a very important article of food there, and that whole villages take part in the planting and harvesting.