The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1901-05-25

/ -HE forthcoming yearbook of the
4 department OF agriculture, which is
Il now being printed at the govern
u Ia rnellt prln'ting Office, will contain
1 tie results of a number of expert
:nnts made during the past year
under the direction of experimental sta
tons. The. yearbook will, in part, say
that as indicated by the numerous nut
foods on the market and the discussions
/ IN papers ard ma gazne,s of systems of
| diet In which nuts play a prominent part,
1 there is quite general interest in the
| subject The claims made for some nut
| foods often seem eXtrava CANT and llnrea-
sonable. Apparently they Lack any basis
! Of experimental evidence, nor is it proha-.
bic that the. best-known physiologists
would advise the Wholesale use Of nuts
| in diet to the exclusion O., more usual
! and generally accepted foods.
The composition and food value Of A
Number of nuts have been studied by the
California and Maine stations 4 Special
| studies on chestnuts have also been re-
| ported by the Pennsylvania and Massa-
! chusetts stations. The following state
ments concerning the general character
| iSt1cs of the nuts commonly eaten in
this country are chiefly taken from the
| report of the studies at the Maine sta
| ton SIZE /. III. ~
The almond is a favorite desert nut in
this country. By far the larger part of
the almonds consumed is supplied Nv
| France, Italy and Spain. California
| however, has grown the almond sue
cessfully, and the output of this crop is
! annually increasing. The almond is used
in confectionery, creams, cakes; etc.
| The Brazil nut, as its name indicates
| Is native of Brazil. whence it is ex-
| ported In large quantities. 1t has not
been successfully grown in the United
States. 1t is chiefly used as desert
! nut. ~:'. ~ -.-.s = ,-..~-
! The filberts found in our MARKETS are
| chiefly varieties and crosses Of two spe-
| cies.. The native hazels are smaller than
| the European nuts. but have an agreea-
BILE flavor. The filbert is chiefly used as
a desert nut, but the ground nut IS some
times used for confectionery and in other
| ways. In some European countries where
1t grows abundantly, sort of bread is
made from the ground nut.
I The hickory nut under which general
| rlarne are included the nuts of several
| species of native trees, of which the
| shagbar (Iicoria ovata) Is the most i'm.
| portant, is one Of our best-known nuts
| The quality of the hickory nut is ex-
ceedingly variable. both in flavor and in
the readiness with which the shell may
| be removed The better varieties are
highly esteemed, and by many are consid-
cred to compare favorably in delicacy
!, of flavor with the English walnut Large
! quantities of the n;,ts are eaten, and they
Z. are sometimes used in ma king cakes and
L
! regarding the name OF this nut In some
regions Of New England it is known as
the walnut. while the nut more generally
known in the United States as the wal
nut, which grows only sparingly in New
England, is designated the black walnut.
The pecan CHicoria pecan is also a ma
tive of America, but is less widely dis
trfbuted than the hickory, to which it is
closely related. The flavor of the pecan
| makes it a desirable nut but doubtless
| owes much of Its popularity to it's thin
shell and the ease with which the kernel
| may be removed. 1t is largely used
desert NUT Quantities are also used by
the confectioners for making sailed Pc
cans, bonbons of various sorts, etc.
The English or more E3roper!y Persian
walnut (Juglans regiD has been success.
fully cultivated in several regions of the
| United States" It is of Asiatic origin,
but owing to its general excellence it
easily won It's way to popular favor
reaching England about the middle of
the sixteenth century. 1t is a favorite
DESERT nut, and is also used by confec-
TONERS in many ways tx. '5
What is most generally known as the
walnut in the United States (the fruit
i of Juglans nigra and closely allied spe-
cies) is large NUT rich in Oil, and has
a strongly marked flavor. This nut is
somewhat used by confectioners. ~
The butternut, Oil nut or white walnut
Iuglans cinerea) is extremely oily and
has a tendency to become rancid. The
fresh nut has an excellent flavor It is
less commonly marketed than some other
i native nuts.
/ The beech nut is the fruit Of forest
tree common in the eastern half of the
i United States. The nuts are sweet and
of very agreeable flavor Owing to their
small SIZE ana the consequent difficulty
/ OF gathering them only limited amount
reaches the market
The pistacfho although native Of
Syria, has long been cultivated in south
ern Europe whence most of the nuts
eaten in this country are obtained. It
has been grown to limited extent in the
i United States. The kernel is greenish in
color and has a mild, pleasant and char
acteristic flavor, suggestive of almonds
=l7Itsis chiefly used in the manufacture of
confectionery, ices. ETC., being valued for
it's flavor and the delicate green color
i which it imparts.
Although the cocoanut is native of
the tropics, it has been successfully grown
L in, lo n,,1x, s..
monty find their way into the market
though the fruit OF the green nut It's
much relished where it is available
Large quantities of the dried and grated
nut are consumed. It's uses for coalfec-
wen known.
i In many regions Of the West and South
west several varieties of pine nut are
i eaten.
i One Of the fruits most commonly eaten
i in the United States under the name Of
NUT IS the peanut. Strictly speaking, this
is not nut. but the fruit of a legumin-
i Gus plant closely related to the pea or
bean. Probably three-fourths OF the pea
nuts. eaten are roasted. Part of the
cheaper grades are used by confectioners
i for making sailed peanuts and various
forms of peanut candy. etc A sweet and
palatable oil can be made from the pea
i nut. 8
It is pointed out by the Maine station
that from 30 to IS per cent. Of the nuts
most commonly eaten diamonds, Brazil
nuts, flberts. hickory nuts. pecans and
walnuts) is shell. All these nuts contain
little water. The protein is fairly high,
but fat constitutes the largest part of
the edible portion. The carbohyd rates.
which usually occur in large proportion. in
vegetable foods. are present in only small