308 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



themselves. They are the "pleasure givers," the food materials 

 which make the mouth water and enable the thrifty housewife by 

 their use to serve meals which are much better relished, although 

 there is little difference in cost between these and plain meals if the 

 fruit used is grown at home. The above figures show that fruits 

 should not be regarded as mere accessories to the diet, since they 

 ■contain a" goodly amount of heat and energy giving food nutrients. 

 Fruit may well be used to supplement foods which are richer in pro- 

 tein than they, such as cereals, grains, legumes, eggs, cheese, meats 

 and fish, because they give needed bulk in a very pleasing form. 



In order to obtain some facts concerning how thoroughly a diet 

 of fruits and nuts can be assimilated, the California experiment sta- 

 tion some time ago carried on a large number of digestion experi- 

 ments in addition to dietary studies. The results of these experi- 

 ments give some valuable information. Prof. Jaffa points out that 

 it is "undoubtedly advisable to wait until more data have been ob- 

 tained before making definite statements regarding digestibility of 

 fruits and nuts. Enough has been done, however, to show that they 

 are thoroughly digested and have a higher nutritive value than is 

 popularly attributed to them." 



On the cost of fruit, the time of year and whether fruits are 

 grown by the family or bought at the market in small or large quan- 

 tities has a marked bearing. In late summer fruits are cheaper than 

 at some other times of the year, and they are usually exceptionally 

 high in the spring. Apples are a comparatively economical food dur- 

 ing the winter season, as they can be bought in quantities and when 

 stored under the best conditions keep well, though the housewife 

 must sort them often, culling those which show signs of decay. The 

 value of fruits cannot be based on their cost alone. Their use makes 

 plain meals satisfactory by rendering other foods more palatable : 

 example, a few blackberries, a sliced peach or banana will often cause 

 a child to relish a dish of cereal which would otherwise be declined. 

 A small amount of jam will often make bread and butter palatable 

 and acceptable in place of pie and cake. 



Few experiments seem to be reported regarding the rapidity with 

 which raw fruits are digested. Beaumont states that mellow sour 

 apples eaten raw require two hours for digestion in the stomach, and 

 that mellow sweet apples require two and one-half hours for diges- 

 tion. Available data indicate that fruits compare favorably with 

 other common foods as regards stomach digestion and that they 

 remain long enough in the intestinal cavity for the body to absorb 

 such materials as it needs. 



