THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 131 



decidedly beneficial. This view has been lately strengthened in my 

 mind, because I have made a little discovery that has swept away 

 even that exception, and made me a recipient of the general benefit 

 The trouble was that there was too much acidity in my constitution, 

 and as all fruits are acid, it rather aggravated the difiiculty, but now 

 I have discovered a counteracting antidote, and am enabled to benefit 

 by the other good qualities it contains, which are as varied as they 

 are valuable. Of course there is a wide difference in the qualities of 

 different fruits, and some of them may be found not to agree with 

 particular constitutions. If the medicinal effects of each kind could 

 be ascertained and clearly set down it would be a useful guide to 

 consumers ; but, as a rule, I am inclined to think that the greater the 

 variety indulged in the gi'eater will be the benefit. I liave myself 

 followed a strictly fruit and vegetable diet for one or two years at a 

 time, and as a consequence a diarrha-a that had almost become chronic, 

 and piles that were very troublesome entirely disappeared. I cannot 

 say whether it was eating fruit or abstaining from meat that benefited 

 me. My wife has been twice relieved entirely of a bad attack of 

 piles, without knowing at the time to what she could attribue such 

 relief, but now recollects that both cases occurred when we were using 

 strawberries freely every day. When my daughter was about three 

 years of age she was seriously troubled with bowel complaint, and 

 thinking it would do her good she was allowed to go to the strawberry 

 patch and help herself, which she did very freely, and her complaint 

 soon left her, I am satisfied there is virtue in strawberries, whatever 

 there may be in other fruits. 



I have had less experience with grapes, but I am inclined to think 

 they possess medicinal properties of a valuable kind. They contain 

 tartaric acid and cream of tartar, both of which are good medicines, 

 and I should expect a liberal use of this fruit to be fully as beneficial 

 as that of strawberries. Constitutions differ materially; some are 

 benefited by acids and some by alkalies. I have chanced upon certain 

 things during my lifetime by which I have been benefited more than 

 by doctors' advice, and have no doubt others have done the same. 

 Take an example from my own experience. I once suffered severely 

 for two months from a complaint allecting the eyes, which was so 

 painful as almost to incapacitate me from business. One of my eyes 

 could not bear the light, and the other was very painful. Eye-water, 



