THE FARMER AT HOME. 177 



The fruits in most common use may be classed under the heads 

 of stone-fruits, the apple kind, berries, (without affecting botanical 

 accuracy in the use of this term,) and farinaceous fruits. The stone- 

 fruits are those which are of most difficult digestion. Plums and 

 cherries are particularly so. The ripe peach is both delicate in its 

 flavor and easily digestible ; the apricot is also very wholesome ; but 

 the nectarine is liable to disagree with some stomachs. The fruits of 

 the apple kind are somewhat firm in their texture, and therefore 

 rather indigestible, and liable to be detained in the stomach. Pears 

 are rather more allowable, as their texture is softer. The white 

 skin of the orange should be carefully rejected, but the inner pulp is 

 grateful to all stomachs, whether in health or sickness. The fruits 

 of the berry kind are the most wholesome of all. The strawberry or 

 raspberry are particularly good ; the grape is cooling and laxative, 

 but the husks and seeds are to be rejected; the gooseberry is not so 

 digestible, especially if the skin be swallowed. It is only the pulp of 

 these fruits that is digested ; the seeds always pass through the body 

 undigested, unless they be chewed. Other berries are generally baked 

 in pies, but the pastry should be sparingly used. The melon, a farin- 

 aceous fruit, is almost sure to disagree with weak stomachs ; and 

 when eaten after dinner, always requires abundance of salt, pepper, 

 ginger, or other condiment to be eaten with it. Many fruits, other- 

 wise unsafe, are much improved by cooking. Baked apples are an 

 excellent article of food, and may even be of benefit to dyspeptic pa- 

 tients. Dried fruits are generally esteemed very safe, but they are 

 apt to run into fermentation from the quantity of sugar which they 

 contain. 



FUEL. In our climate, fuel is one of the great essentials for 

 human comfort and the cost of it is one of the principal items, espe- 

 cially with the poor, for which provision must be made. The vast 

 amount of it used, and the constantly decreasing amount of wood, 

 hitherto mainly consumed for fuel, renders the future supply of the 

 article one of the most important topics of consideration for the phi- 

 lanthropist and social economist. Is it not apparent, that the time is 

 rapidly approaching when, in many portions of our country where 

 wood is now used for fuel, there will be such a deficiency of it, 

 if used in any appreciable quantity by the poor, the burden of pro- 

 curing it must be nearly insupportable ? How can this be reme- 

 died ? Or, how can the evil be diminished ? It can in a measure be 

 done by the following precautions. First ; no one, however much wood 

 he may have, should cut down a single tree, great or small, or even 

 sprout, unless it be necessary. No prudent man should do it, any 

 more than a prudent mariner would throw overboard a portion of the 

 ship's provisions, when some unforeseen casuality may put the life of 

 his crew in jeopardy for the want of them. Multitudes of our far- 

 mers have cut down scores of acres of wood and burnt it up, or suf- 



