236 



RECREATION. 



roasting. Recipes for preparing various 

 dishes from chestnuts may be found in 

 standard books devoted to cookery. 



On an average the fresh chestnut meat 

 contains about 43 per cent water, 7 per 

 cent protein, 6 per cent fat, 43 per cent 

 carbohydrates, and a little ash. 



Wheat flour contains about 13 per cent 

 water, 11 per cent protein, 75 per cent car- 

 bohydrates, and a little fat and ash. 



The edible portion of potatoes contains 

 on an average over 78 per cent water, 2 per 

 cent protein, 18 per cent carbohydrates, 

 and a little fat and ash. 



It will be seen that the most abundant 

 nutrient in chestnuts is carbohydrates 

 (largely starch). They also contain fairly 

 large percentages of protein and fat. Com- 

 paring their composition with that of flour, 

 for example, it will be found that chest- 

 nuts are relatively rich in nutritive matter. 

 They contain more nutritive material in the 

 same bulk than potatoes The chestnut dif- 

 fers widely from other common nuts in 

 that it contains much less oil and protein 

 and much more carbohydrates, especially 

 starch, which is almost wholly wanting in 

 many nuts. 



Only a few experiments have been made 

 as to the digestibility of nuts. It is quite 

 commonly believed that oily nuts are not 



easily digested. According to experiments 

 recently made in Italy, chestnuts are quite 

 easily digested. The subject of the ex- 

 periments was a healthy man who con- 

 sumed chestnuts cooked in a number of 

 different ways for several days, taking no 

 other food. The digestibility of the chest- 

 nuts expressed in per cent was as follows: 

 Dry matter, 93.8; protein, 74.7; fat, 86.7; 

 carbohydrates, 96.7. According to the 

 Italian investigator, the chestnuts were 

 most completely digested when they were 

 cooked until soft. 



It is stated that when chestnuts sell for 

 5 cents a quart, 10 cents' worth will fur- 

 nish 0.62 pounds of protein, and 1,340 ca- 

 lories. At 6 cents a pound 10 cents' worth 

 of beef shoulder would furnish 0.27 pound 

 of protein, and 1,270 calories; at 2 cents 

 a pound, 10 cents' worth of wheat flour 

 would furnish 0.55 pound of protein and 

 8,225 calories; and at one cent a pound 10 

 cents' worth of potatoes would furnish 0.18 

 pound of protein and 3,200 calories. 



From what has been said, it is evident 

 that chestnuts are nutritious food of rea- 

 sonable cost, which may be prepared in a 

 number of ways. As their value becomes 

 better known, their use will probably be- 

 come more extended. 



EDITOR'S CORNER. 



A BIG CONVENTION. 



The Maine Sportsmen's Fish and Game 

 Protective Association held its annual 

 meeting at the Kineo House, Moosehead 

 Lake, on July 9, 10 and 11. Excursion 

 trains were run on various roads in the 

 State which carried large numbers of vis- 

 itors. Many of the members of the asso- 

 ciation took their families with them, and 

 the attendance aggregated nearly 300 peo- 

 ple. Among these were Governor and 

 Mrs. Powers, Col. I. K. Stetson, Hon. Le- 

 Roy T. Carleton, Hon. C. E. Oak, and 

 Hon. H. O. Stanley, the latter 3 consti- 

 tuting the State Fish and Game Commis- 

 sion; Hon. P. O. Vickery, President and 

 Col. E. C. Farrington, Secretary of the 

 Association; Gen. S. D. Leavitt, Gen. John 

 T. Richards, Gen. Selden Connor, Hon. S. 

 W. Carr, Hon. Wm. Engel, Hon. Byron 

 Boyd. 



On the night of the 10th a reception was 

 tendered to Governor and Mrs. Powers, 

 which was attended by nearly 500 of the 

 best people in the State. After the recep- 

 tion the assembly was addressed by the 

 president of the L. A. S. on "Union of Ef- 

 fort for the Protection of Game and Fish." 



On the nth a number of rowing and 

 swimming contests were held which proved 



highly interesting and amusing. A prize 

 of a steel trolling rod was offered for the 

 largest fish caught, and a fine reel for the 

 largest trout. Another rod was offered to 

 the lady catching the largest fish, and 

 Recreation offered a steel fly rod as a 

 special prize to the lady capturing the sec- 

 ond largest trout. These were won bv 

 Capt. W. T. Pollard, of Foxcroft; Hon. W. 

 T. Haines, of Waterville; Mrs. Byron 

 Boyd, of Augusta, and Miss Rosamond 

 Connor, daughter of Gen. Selden Connor, 

 in the order named. 



The officers and members of the Maine 

 Association have reason to be proud of the 

 remarkable success of this meeting. Few 

 States in the Union could gather so many 

 distinguished men and women, from such 

 remote points, to listen to a discussion of 

 the subject of game and fish protection. 

 The people of Maine, however, are more 

 thoroughly awake to the importance of this 

 subject than those of perhaps any other 

 State. They have the best game and fish 

 laws of any State in the Union, all things 

 considered, and these laws are well en- 

 forced. As a result, it is estimated that 

 about 200,000 people go to Maine every 

 summer and fall for the purpose of fish- 

 ing and hunting, and that they leave in the 



