Winter Meeting. 283 



parts of all plants. It is less abundant in fine fruits than in any 

 other part of plants. Starch, which is found so largely in the 

 cereals, and in certain garden vegetables, is almost wholly absent 

 in ripe fruit, being converted into sugar during the process of 

 ripening. 



8. A very small percentage of ash or mineral salts. 



The substances named above are all essential constituents of a 

 perfect or well-rounded diet (cellulose excepted). 



The proportions of the more important nutrients, however, are 

 so small that much of our fruit has little direct nutritive value. 

 Suppose we take the three principal groupes, viz. : carbohydrates, 

 proteids and fats, which together may justly be called the grand 

 tripod of nutritive substances, and see what some of our represen- 

 tative fruits will furnish. 



The Horticultural Department of the State University has 

 made quite a number of analyses of the strawberry, and of the 

 substances just named the average results are as follows: Carbo- 

 hydrates, 8.0 per cent; proteids, .3 per cent; fats, a mere trace, 

 practicallj^ nothing. 



It has been estimated by students of dietaries that the mini- 

 mnm daily ration of nutrients for a man of average weight per- 

 forming an ordinary day's work is: Carbohydrates, 500 grams, 

 or 17.8 ounces; proteids, 118 grams, or 4.2 ounces; fats, 56 grams, 

 or 2.0 ounces. 



Taking the analysis of the strawberry, a simple calculation will 

 show that a person would have to consume 200 ounces, or 13 

 pounds, of this fruit daily, in order to obtain the requisite amount 

 of carbohydrates from this source. In order to secure the neces- 

 sary proteids from the same source, a daily consumption of 1,400 

 ounces, or 88 pounds, would be required. This would be a task 

 that even those who have the most ardent taste and liking for this 

 fruit could scarcely be prevailed upon to attempt. Even though 

 he should eat the amount named, he would still be deficient in ap- 

 proximately all the required fats. 



Take another illustration : The nutrients contained in the 

 apple, according to analysis that we have made, are as follows : 

 Carbohydrates (including cellulose), 10 per cent; proteids, 2.5 per 

 cent; fats, .2 per cent. 



Applying the same calculation as before, we find that one will 

 have to eat 178 ounces, or a little more than 11 pounds of apples a 

 day, for the requisite carbohydrates; he would be obliged to eat' 

 168 ounces, or IOI/2 pounds, for the necessary proteids, and for the 

 fats it would require 1,000 ounces, or 62i/i pounds daily. 



