LUTHER BURBANK 
having a relatively high percentage of starchy 
matter, 42 per cent of its edible portion being 
found in the carbohydrate division—a proportion 
which no other nut except the acorn approaches. 
The amount of fat in the chestnut is proportion- 
ately small—only about 51% per cent., as against 
the 64.4 per cent. of the English walnut and the 
71.2 per cent. of the pecan. 
As to protein—muscle-forming matter—the 
chestnut has but a little over 6 per cent., while the 
English walnut has 16.7 per cent., and the Ameri- 
can black walnut and the butternut head the list 
with 27.6 per cent. and 27.9 per cent. respectively. 
Chestnuts when fresh have a very much higher 
percentage of water than other nuts—no less than 
45 per cent., whereas the generality of nuts have 
but three to five per cent. 
It appears, then, that the meat of the chestnut 
furnishes a less concentrated food than other nuts 
supply, and one that is rich in digestible starches, 
of which it contains six or seven times the propor- 
tion common to other nuts. This excess of starchy 
constituents explains why the chestnut is not gen- 
erally relished so much as many other nuts in the 
raw state. But it explains also why this nut may 
be eaten in large quantities when cooked. 
In France and in Italy chestnuts are very 
generally eaten, usually being prepared by boiling, 
[16] 
