Brian Dickerson, age 10, of Galesburg, I11., for his question:

DOES THE PEANUT HAVE MANY USES?

The peanut is a very useful item. Actually not a nut, the peanut is a kind of pea that grows in a shell.

The peanut is a popular food item, whether eaten alone after it has been roasted, or put into peanut butter, candy, cookies and even pie.

Peanuts are rich in oil. The oil is used to make salad oils, salad dressings, margarine and other vegetable shortenings.

 In addition, the oil is used extensively in industry. Peanut oil can be used to oil machinery and as an ingredient in soaps, face powders, shaving creams, shampoos and paint. It is even used in making the explosive nitroglycerin.

Powder from peanut shells is an ingredient in plastics, cork substitutes, wallboards and abrasives.