DIGESTION EXPERIMENTS WITH CHESTNUTS. 



L. H. Merrill. 



A few years ago this Station made quite a study of the nutri- 

 tive value of nuts, the results of which were published in Bulle- 

 tin No. 54.* At that time it was planned, as part of the nutri- 

 tion investigations in cooperation with the U. S. Department of 

 Agriculture, to make digestion experiments with mixed diets in 

 which nuts should form an important part of the food consumed. 

 Only two such experiments wath chestnuts were made. The 

 results have been held unpublished hoping that opportunity 

 would come to add to the number of experiments with chest- 

 nuts, and also with other nuts. 



As shown in the following table, chestnuts differ materially 

 from most other nuts in carrying large amounts of carbo- 

 hydrates, but little fat, and for the most part relatively small 

 amounts of protein. In fact, they more nearly resemble Indian 

 corn in composition than ordinary nuts. 



The dry matter of the meats {kernels) of chestnuts compared 

 zvith the meats of other nuts f and with corn meal. 



Almonds. 

 Filberts . 



Pecans 



Walnuts . 

 Chestnuts 

 Corn 



Per 



cent. 



2.1 

 2.5 

 1.8 

 1.3 

 2.5 

 1.7 



*Nuts as Food, Bui. 54, Maine Agricultural Experiment Station, 1899. 

 tAnalyses talien from Bulletin 54 of this Station. 



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