THE DIETETIC VALUE OF FRUIT. 95 



already resulted in the more general use of a balanced ration for the 

 human stomach, should, in view of the high cost of living, consider 

 the dietetic value of nuts as well as fruit. 



It is not unlikely that our present dietaries will be so modified in 

 the near future as to include a larger use of these two important 

 classes of food products. 



The use of nuts, particularly, may well be encouraged at this 

 time, when meats of all kinds are so high as to be almost prohibitive, 

 and a more purely vegetable diet is demanded on the score of 

 economy. As is well known a large part of our vegetable foods are 

 deficient in fat. Nuts excel in fat. Chemical analysis has* shown 

 that the kernels of the butternut may contain as high as 60 per cent 

 of fat, the black walnut 50 per cent, and the American chestnut 

 15 per cent. This proves that a comparatively small quantity of 

 nut kernels will supply the requisite amount of this ingredient for a 

 well balanced daily ration. 



Nuts are also comparatively rich in proteids. 



The Waste and Economic Value of Nuts. 



In the following comparisons the term nut is used in the com- 

 mercial rather than in the structural or botanical sense. 



The first table shows the number of nuts in a pound for the 

 various kinds examined. The smallest numbers are represented 

 by the black walnut, large hickory nuts, Brazil nuts and foreign 

 chestnuts, while the largest numbers are found with the peanut, 

 filbert and American chestnut. There is a marked difference 

 between different species or varieties of hickory nuts. For example, 

 it takes nearly four times as many of the shell-bark hickory nuts to 

 weigh a pound as it does of the large or "king" hickory nuts. 

 The table also shows the percentage of kernel or edible portion and 

 the percentage of shell or waste. 



It will be seen that the largest percentage of kernel (87 per cent) 

 is found in the Spanish chestnut. The second highest (75 per cent) 

 is given by the American chestnut. This is closely followed by the 

 peanut, which contains 72 per cent of kernel or edible portion. 



The lowest percentage (20) is found in the large hickory nut. 

 The black walnut and butternut also stand very low in percentage 

 of kernel. Comparing the Maderia nut (English walnut) with the 



