Terry Ritter, age 14, of Superior, Wis., for his question:

HOW DOES THE CASHEW GROW?

One of the world's most popular nuts is the bean¬shaped cashew which grows on evergreen trees that measure up to 40 feet in height.

A native of Central America and other tropical areas, most of the world's cashew crop comes from either India or South America.

Cashew is related to poison ivy, and the shell of the nut contains an irritating poison. Many people who touch the shell'sometimes develop skin blisters. But the nut must be roasted before it is eaten, and the roasting removes all poison.

A fleshy red or yellow fruit called the cashew apple, grows on the tree, and at the stem end of each apple is attached the bean shaped nut in its own shell.