The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-11-14
VIRTUE IN Nut DIET.
SCIENTISTS INVESTIGATE The VALUE
or ~ CHEAP ARTICLE OF DIEr.


or a CHEAP ARTICLE OF DIEr.
Uncle Sam has in his employed at
present time n corps Of scientific
whose business ii Is to study
foods and to advise American house
wives as TO the most economical mode
OF lilllng the Family market basket,
aud nOurishmcnt being Jointly
considered.
These dictetic sharps, says the New
York Herald, are anxious to persuade
the people to eat more nuts, which,
while approaching The grain. in food
value, are decidedly cheap, or, in the
case OF some kinds, would SOon become
50 if attention were paid to cultivate
them.
1t appears that even The nuts we do
eat arc largely fetched from abroad,
though nearly all of them might be
produced very easily in this country.
Dried aud shredded c%ocoanut is a
very important article of commerce,
and Il vast amount of 1t is already used
IN this country. The meat of the fresh
fruit Is both palatable and nutritious,
while the milk, iced, is most delicious
drink. Grated, the meat enters into
the composition of curry, while from
the oil Is made Il beautiful butter, which
is finding It's way to the tables Of the
poor as Il substitute for oleomargarinc.
When small and green the nuts are
powdered for medicinal use, being
mixed with the oil of the ripe nut for
Il healing ointment. The milk con-
tains about half as much fat rs cows
, milk.
Chcstnuts are cultivated on a great
scale IN Europe, particularly in France,
where the chief morning dish for Il
large part Of the working class is a pre-
paration made by stcaming the shclled
nuts and cooking them with milk and
salt, the mixture being sold hot on the
streets. These nuts are also dried and
ground TO flour, which may be kept
for quito Il while, and which, when
mixed with water and baked in thin
sheets, affords a sweet and nutritious
cake. An excellent soup Is made from
chcstnuts, which are likewise utilized
as Il stulting for birds, and sometimes
boiled and dipped in syrup for Il con,
serve.
Experiments made by the govern
NNpSlNp polllb " Nv CONCLUSION
that nuts, generally speaking, are not
indigcstible, despite the popular i'm.
preston to the contrary.
Enormous quantities of pecan nuts
are now used i'll this county, though
chiefly by contcctioncrs. This is q
species OF hickory nut, native to this
continent, and not found anywhere
else in the world. The finest pccans
come from Louisiana, though the bull
OF the crop is produced in Texas.
Pecan nut oil makes a very gooC
table oil, and as a lubricant it is uset
by clockmakcrs and gunsmiths. 1t /.
Il fine illumlnant, the kernel being 81
rich in oil that 1t will burn for a few
moments brightly when lighted with ;
match. Thousands of acres of pccaI
trees are already under cultivation il
the Gulf States, aud it is said that an
orchard will yield a fortune and IA biz
income TO anybody who has patienc,
to wait ten years until the trees com
into full bearing.
Almonds, while recognized only as +;
luxury tor desert, find II great make
IN this country. The almond is yer,
good food, containing as it does 81 pei
cent of "protcin,' which Is the stuff
that goes to make blood and muscle
together with 81 per cent of fat and Ii
per cent of starch. One might live TO
quite Il while on these nuts and retail,
health and strength.
The experts say that, speaking
roughly, n pound Of nut kernels fur
nlshes onc-half as much muscle max
inc Stutf and obnut tho cam, on,oun
OF fuel as II pound Of wheat flour
one could live pretty comfortably fol
some time on English ~walnuts, which
contain &c per cent of fat, 1G per cen
OF starch, and II per cent of "pro
tein.n
Efforts are being made through cul.
tvatlOn, to increase the size of various
American nuts, and notable success in
TINS line has been obtained with the
"shagbark " and the chestnut.
Peanuts can not be omitted from q
discussion Of the food value of nuts.
though in reality they are not nuts at
all, but a kind Of pea. The govern.
ment experts find that a quart of pea.
nuts contains as much muscle raising
stun as a pound of rump steak, though
costing only One-third the price. The
peanut is the cheapest of all foods re-
latlvcly to the amount of nutriment it
contains, having 40 per cent of fat and
~ per cent of protein"
The oil, which is one half the weight
OF The kernel, is sweet and palatuble
ana Is widely used as a substitute for
olive.