24 NUT GROWING 



gathered and stored for the purpose of forming 

 part of the ration of domestic animals. This partic- 

 ular part of the subject will belong to studies further 

 along in our history. 



At the present moment the subject of nuts for 

 human food is the one undergoing most active devel- 

 opment. Many important reports on this part of the 

 subject are coming from the public and private lab- 

 oratories and the literature of this feature of the 

 nut question has become voluminous. The notes fol- 

 lowing on the food value of nuts have been taken 

 largely from the writings of Dr. J. H. Kellogg, who 

 has given more attention to the subject in a prac- 

 tical way and for a longer time than any other au- 

 thority with whose work I am familiar. 



Nuts furnish starches, fats, and proteins, the three 

 essential food elements. Different nuts furnish these 

 essentials in varying proportions. Thus, almonds 

 contain 21% protein, 54.9% fats, 17.5% starches, 

 and 22% ash. Fresh chestnuts contain only 

 6% protein, 5.4% fats, but 42.1% starch and 1.8% 

 ash. Peanuts contain 30.5% protein, 49.2% fats, 

 16.2% starch, 2.5% ash. These three kinds of nuts 

 represent the characteristic varieties in the kinds of 

 food material furnished by each one of the kinds. 



An acre of land devoted to wheat may produce 

 nearly ten times as much protein as the same acre 

 devoted to pasturage for beef cattle. An acre of 

 land devoted to nuts may be made to produce a still 

 larger amount of food protein than is to be obtained 

 from this wheat which, in turn, had excelled the 



