NATURAL HISTORY STUDIES 



water and sugar. Seeds, on the other hand, are 

 rich in proteins, and the advantage of this is plain, 

 when we recognize that what is spent in the fruit is 

 lost, while what is stored in the seeds is legacy. 

 Apart from the seeds, it is said that it requires 1J 

 Ib. of grapes, 2 Ib. of strawberries, 2 Ib. of apples, 

 and 4 Ib. of pears to furnish as much protein as 

 there is in one egg. 



In the ripening of the fruit many interesting 

 chemical changes go on. There are fermentations, 

 for instance, such as that which changes the starch 

 of the unripe fruit into the sugar of the ripe fruit, 

 or that which changes pectose into pectin. There 

 is the appearance of pigments, such as the red of 

 the rosy-cheeked apple, which is the same as the 

 red of the withering leaf and of some flowers. There 

 is also the formation of ethers and oils and some 

 other subtle stuffs, some of which are aromatic, 

 giving the fruit a fragrance which may be even finer 

 than that of the flower. 



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