The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-06-04
The Value Of Vegetables.

i. Every famer should have a vegetable
= garden. Too many neglect this. Al
, their time and attention are given t,
the main crops, wheat, corn, potatoes
as the case may be. They raise splen
did hay and superb apples, but the lit
tie luxuries that may be grown in the
kitchen garden if they had one, are re
garded as unimportant This is a mis-
take in my opinion. My father was one
Of that class of farmers. He worked
hard and made his farming pay, but
there were about four months in the
year when we had nothing to eat, so to
speak From the first Of MAY to Sep
TENDER our diet was salt pork, old POI
tatoes, eggs, etc; not a green thing was
placed upon the table. Most farmers have
their early potato patches now, but not
la few cling to the Old-fashioned idea and
ignore a vegetable gardenas they would
the erecting Of a factory upon their
best grass land Only last summer,
sat down at a farmers table in having
time, where fried potatoes and fried
| eggs constituted the first course. The
only sauce was dried apple sauce. And
| this was the fare they daily sat down to,
while their neigh bors were luxuriating
| upon string and she'll beans, early peas,
| green apple pie, currant, rhubarb, and
| strawberry sauce, lettuce, new potatoes,
| etc. The farmer was forehanded too.
Now vegetables are something more
than mere luxuries From sanitary
considerations alone they should enter
largely into the diet Of our farming pop
ulation. If farmers would eat less meat
and consume more vegetables and fruit,
especially during the warm weather,
they would be a much healthier class.
Herodotus, the old historian who gath
cred the materials for history by travel
ing and mixing with men, attributes the
activity and healthiness Of the ancient
Persians to the variety of fruit and veg
etables consumed by them. Al their
meals several courses of vegetable food |
preceded very moderate allowance of |
meat. The Persians were the manifest |
and most sporting nation of the old |
world. TO shoot we'll, to ride well, and |
to speak the truth, were the three prin-
cipal things that Persian taught his |
son. His modern descendant retains
the same physical vigor, and his diet Is |
practically the same as that of the
tough old race. In one respect only |
has the modern Persian degenerated. |
He can no longer speak the truth, but |
is a cunning and chronic liar.
The fact, however, Is servicable that
the old Persians supported a vigorous
life on vegetables mixed with a moder-
ate allowance Of meat. 1t shows that
a race may be strong, and even indulge
in athletic sports without being carniv-
orous. 1t also protests against the er-
rors Of those housewives who consider
meat the only part of the meal which re-
quires care, and that the chief use Of
is to garnish roast beef or
boiled mutton.
The farmer who has his vegetable gar
len and works it, not only lives better
but healthier than his neighbor who has
not one. Potatoes, beans, carrots, par
ships, beets and turnips contain starch
md sugar, and each of them is direct
God contributing to the force Of the
Iody in health.
Asparagus, onions, aromatic herbs, {
and lettuce are stimulants. ,
When eaten they cause an increased !
low of saliva and gastric juices, thus Y
'romoting digestion. Cabbages and f
contribute some of the mate y
ials of the blood, which are of import q
nee to the general vigor Of the consti- /
ution. The rule in serving vegetables
to have a variety, to have them fresh, T
nd to see to it that they are properly +
)oked. There is no reason why a =
lrmer cannot have them So CITY II
eople cannot fare as well. Doubtless d
luch Of the puniness, pallor, fetid G
reath and bad teeth which distinguish
,me Of our town population, is due to
leir inability to get those articles of Il
ne table fresh. st