272 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Jan., 



condition tends for health. The coarse outer leaves of salad 

 plants are as objectionable as those of cabbage and these should 

 not be used as food either. Neither should the coarse outer 

 stalks of celery. A little forethought in. this respect will go 

 a long way toward promoting right bodily conditions. 



It is the observance of these little things that tend so much 

 to keep us in good physical condition. Who has not felt the 

 effects of improperly cooked food, or the miserable after effects 

 of such food ? Not only does the eating of improperly cooked 

 food irritate the whole digestive tract, but it also acts as an 

 irritant to the mind, and in spite of our best endeavors it is im- 

 possible to concentrate thought, or to make any great mental 

 effort. We are ready to admit that something is wrong, but 

 we are seldom ready to admit that this something is our food. 

 When we do see and admit the fact that as we are physically, 

 we are mentally, then only will we earnestly consider the con- 

 ditions for health, and so considering, strive to observe them. 

 That " health is wealth," is a true saying, while indifference to 

 food's dietetic value cannot help but be the foe to true pro- 

 gression. Ignorance is the mother of vices and the sooner we 

 admit that the educational system of our country is entirely 

 wrong in ignoring the physical conditions of the growing youth 

 of this country the better it will be for all future generations. 

 It is only when such conditions are observed and amended that 

 we can hope for real improvement in the human race. 



America is known as the great meat-eating nation. Sta- 

 tistics prove that we annually consume over eleven thousand 

 million pounds of meat. Why this immense consumption? In 

 my opinion it is due to careless indifference in the preparation 

 of vegetables as food. No one can be expected to eat with 

 relish a soggy^ watery and insipid tasting vegetable. It is not 

 palatable and, if eaten at all, needs much seasoning to pave its 

 way to favor. 



Badly cooked vegetables, as I have endeavored to show you, 

 are badly digested, and instead of yielding nourishment intro- 

 duce into the system poisonous vegetable acids harmful in the 

 extreme. To do away with this immense consumption of meat, 

 which, in many instances, acts as a poison in the human sys- 

 tem, more attention must be given to the cooking of vegetables. 

 While it is an art to properly cook meat it is an even greater 

 art to cook vegetables. This fact is plainly demonstrated in 



