42 PROPORTIONS OF NUTRIMENT. 



of animals, and is contained in most of the grains, peas, beans, seeds, 

 almonds, and most nutritive fruits. Gluten also resembles the fibrin 

 of animals, the substance of muscular flesh and its nutrive part. The 

 gum of vegetables dissolves when placed in water, forming a viscid so- 

 lution, while the mucilage is not soluble, but forms, with water, a thick 

 paste. Oil is a principle abounding in some vegetables, especially 

 in some fruits : as the nuts, etc., and it resembles some animal oils, as 

 butter, etc. 



Of vegetable Sugar, one of the most important of the proximate 

 nutritive principles, we shall speak more at large in a distinct article. 



The proportions of proximate principles in 100 parts of the chief of 

 the cereal grains are estimated as follows : 



Gluten. Starch. Sugar. Gum. Albumen. 



Wheat - 7 to 14* - 56 to 72 - 4 to 8k - 2 to 6 



Rye - 5 to 9 - 60 - 3i - 11 - 3 



Barley - 3^ - 67 - 5* - 4J - 1 



Oats - - 59 - 8J - 2J - 4 



Rice - 84 



Indian Corn is principally starch with some sugar. 



Water is in the proportion of 8 to 10 per cent, and bran from 1. 20 

 to 1. 30 per cent. 



Peas and beans consist mostly of starch, with some oil and sugar. 

 Potatoes possess a dry substance in the proportion of 24 to 30 per cent, 

 and water forms the remainder. This dry matter is composed of from 

 13 to 15 per cent, of starch ; 2 to 9 of fibrous matter; 1 to 2 of vege- 

 table albumen, with 70 to 80 of water. Like some other roots, there- 

 fore, potatoes depend on starch for their nutritive properties. 



Vegetable diet should embrace a variety of proximate principles in 

 order to afford health and strength. Wheat supplies a considerable 

 variety of these in its starch, gluten, sugar and gum ; but Rice does not 

 afford this variety and therefore some other substance should be eaten 

 with it ; vegetable oil, or animal fat, is commonly used. Three of 

 these proximate principles are found in milk, which is therefore highly 

 nutritive. One of these, in the form of butter or cheese, is consumed 

 to a great extent. Ripe fruits afford an abundance of sugar and mu- 

 cilage, and hence are a valuable addition to vegetable diet. In the 

 date, much eaten in countries where the chief aliment is vegetable, 

 abounds in these principles, as with many of our own fine fruits. 

 These, with rice or millet, therefore, afford a good diet. 



It will be apparent, from what was said of the requirements of the 

 body in the latter part of the chapter on the chemistry of agriculture, 

 that this variety of proximate principles is absolutely necessary, and 

 that those restricting themselves to vegetable diet necessarily require 

 more and a greater variety of food to meet the demands of the body. 

 The practice therefore, whether from choice or the advice of others, of 



