The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1855-08-14
THE RIGHT USE OF FRUIT.

ncnce Of oxalic acid in green fruits, which ma
lures great culinary process IL was said ripcn
ed into tho malic and citric acid sand sugar
but the oxalic is formed in ripe fruits as vol
as green ones, either alone or in combination
May VIC not as we'll confess at once our igno
rance in this matter. and yield to authority unt
plain matter Of fact:
can we'll remember whom it was the gcner
al beef-thcoretically mean, rather tlnr
particularly-tbat all tho summer fruits OF
nearly all, were injurious. The unripe fruits
are worse than tho ripe ones, may indeed have
been believed; bat all were supposed to be fl,
vorable to the production Of discase. particlar.
ly bowel complaints Tho blackberry whose
roots arc now very generally believed to be Gu
rative of dysentery was supposed TO produce
this terrible disease, especially the high black
berry.
Blu, it is hardly necessary for me to comba,
belief that has long since been shaken. A
contrary and truer faith in these matters is
fast coming into vogue, and let us rejoice =
Not only have we tho strongest evidence of the
usefulness of ripe fruits, when eaten in apro-
per manner, from facts which pass in review
before us from day to day, but there is much
in the prfori argument concerning thcm.--
By the priori argument mean the beautiful
adaptation Of the particular kind of fruit to tho
season when it arrives. Thus tho strong anti
septic properties OF the eurrant and tho obund-
ant water Of the melon would not be so well
adapted to juno as the latter part of July and
August, after tho heats and other causes have
rendered them incidentally necessary. and IN
like manner tho strawberry and raspberry Of
juno and early July would be less valuable,
prophyaticatly, in August. So tho apple and
pear are moro valuable in Autumn than they
would be in Summer. Locke tho philosopher
said, al never knew apples hurt any ono after
| October
My present purpose however is to tako all
this, the usefulness of fruits, for granted, and
| TO say something of tho dangers of using un-
ripo fruits. For is il not truo that our very
best markets at this season as it were deuged
with them? And is our best, how much more
our worst:
will deal first with authorities and with
facts.
/. AUrHoRITIEs.-Of those | will cito only
| three: Paris and Pcreira of the Old World,
and Bell OF tho Now.
DR.. Paris while speaking of the stone fruit
and think be might havc applied his remarks
to other fruits as we'll as theso---thus Observes:
| Much Of the mischief which has been a,tribu-
ted 10 their use has arisen from the unrips
state in which they were eaton.
DR.. Bell, speaking Of tho cherry says: Tho
country which il so commonly has in England
This imperfect development gives additional
effeeito its naturally acid properi los and makes
1t an unwhoesomo FRUIT especially when con
sumed in quantities and unripe state in which
so commonly is among us Again in speaking
of the orange he says: Oranges, when gath
cred too carly as thcy often arc for expectation,
and kept too long, do not contain the properly
maturcd juice, and hence arc not fitted for
weak stomaohs.'
DR.. Pcreira says of tho cherry that il posses
ses dictotical properties similar TO those of tho
plum In the unripe state it casil, disorders
the bowels. OF the currant, grape, whortlo-
berry, edcrbcrry, gooseberry and cranberry
he says: In tho unripe state those fruits read
lily disorder tho alimsntary canal occasioning
griping.' And as if not satisfied with this he
adds in another place: In the unripo state,
goosberries are apt to gripc and otherwise dis
iurb the bowels.
These quotations from tho books usually re-
garded as authority must suffice. They are
fairly made; but for, the itslcising | must be
held responsible.
2. FACTS. of these tho world is full, ospe-
cially in Summer and Autumn. How univor-
sal il is to find those children who are allowed
to cat unripc fruits nt pleasure getting sick.
especially towards Autumn and not only got
ting sick but becoming severely sick. Now,
that other causes conspiro TO this result, do
not deny, but that the use Of the unripe fruit
has its influence is indisputable
IL is not yet four days since littlo boy who
was my near neighbor went to the gardon and
ale moderate quantity of only partially ripe
cherries, and in two days ho was corpse. 1t is
true that it was Saturday night when ho alto
them. which may be an unfavorab!e timo; and
it is also true that he had been i'll and was not
quite recovered, so that only moderate guam
tity was sufficient TO throw him into convul-
sions and destroy him.
In Dedham ten or twelve years ago l MOTTO
cd a fine healthy littlo boy almost necessarily
eating green apples. On inquiry his elvine
evacuations wers asccrtained to bo fvo or six
n day. l demonstrated, but to no purpose
A month or two aftorward he fell victim to
a severe bowel complaint.
In Now Haven county Conn. )moro than
half q century four, thore sat by my sido at
school little boy four years of ago who, but
for his ncorrigible habit of eating green ap-
plies, bid fair 70 live as long as any of his ma,os.
Towards the end of summer no failed for the
first time TO occupy his wonted scat. In two
or tbrcc days no was dead. 1t was universal
~ said that he dcd in consequence of eating
so many green apples. Most certainly some
thing killed him. Children are machines
made to live, not to die early.
Who has not heard of chnstnut sores, by
which our common sense people, especially
our mothers, mean series of sores very apt
to appear about tho angles of tho mouth late
in Autnun. after chestnuts got partly ripe!-
Now that; here, too, other abuses have their
agency, havo no doubt: but tho chostnuts
eaten green and raw arc the most dangerous
in their influence.
But why should | multiply casosl The
u II
with them especially every densely populated
spot. Half our children die under five years
of ago, and though as we have shown in an
other essay, salaratus and other high season
ings have much TO do with our bills of mortnli-
ty, yet as groen fruit is aided in its rolontloss
war upon lifo and health by saloratus, so tho
latter is greatly aided by unripe fruit
w : A. ALCOTT, NJ. ID.
Auburn Dalc, Mass, July 2.
WAITED TOO LoNG.-A farmer, residing in
tho vicinity Of Steels Landing, brought a load