WATER. 



109 



>rn is commonly called. Cereals also contain traces of fat, and 

 a very large proportion of starch and some salts. 



The following table gives the percentage of the chief different 

 nutritive stuffs in some common cereals : 



Green Vegetables. These contain some starch, sugar, dextrin, 

 salts, and minute quantities of proteid, and are of small nutritive 

 value. 



Potatoes contain very little proteid, but a considerable quan- 

 tity of starch, upon which their nutritive value almost entirely 

 depends. 



The following table gives the relative proportions of the various 

 nutritive materials contained in some of the common vegetable 

 foods : 



The most striking points are the very large proportion of pro- 

 teid in the leguminous fruits, and the comparative richness of 

 all vegetables in starchy food stuffs. 



Water is the great medium by the solvent power of which food 

 is made capable of ingestion. Spring water always has a certain 

 quantity of lime and other salts in solution, and in proportion to 

 the amount of salts is said to be more or less hard. Water is 



