The Prescott daily news., 1918-01-15
Uncle Sam's Foresters Show Value of the Fruits of
 Native Trees.
NUTS FIRST IN IMPORTANCE
persmmon and Pawpaw Among Best Known Fruits, and Edible Berries of Many Kinds Are Found-
 Acorns Nourishinq.

IL IS Sald that Daniel Boone and some of our other early pioneers could go into the wilderness with only Tile and a sack of salt and live in comfort on the game and other wild 1ood which the woods afforded. While lew people want to try that sort of thing nowadays, persons who know the food value of the fruits of our na- tive trees and shrubs are, according to Uncle Sam's foresters. able to use them to good advantage in supplement- Ing other foods.
 Aside from the numerous edible mushrooms, roots fruits of shrubs and smaller plants, the trees of our forests afford large variety of edibles which are highly prized by woods connois- seurs. First In importance, of course, are the native nuts-beechnuts, butter nuts, walnuts, chestnuts and chinqua- pins, hazel nuts, and several kinds of hickory nuts, including oceans. The kernels of all of these are not only toothsome, but highly nutritious and are used by vegetarians to replace meat. The oil of the beechnut Is said to be little inferior to olive oil, while that of butternuts and walnuts was used by some of the Indians for vari- ous purposes. The Indians, it is said, also formerly mixed chestnuts with cOrnmeal and made a bread which was baked In corn husks, like tomales.
 Some Acorns Are Edible.
 Acorns are commonly thought to be fit only for feeding hogs, but many kinds of them can be made edible and nourishing for people as well. The Indian custom was to pound or grind the acorns up and leach out the tan min, which makes most of them unfit for eating when raw, by treating the pulp with hot water. The resulting flour, which contained considerable starch. was made either into q DOT ridge or baked in small cakes of bread. As rule, the acorns of the various white oaks having less tannin are the ones best suited for food but Indians also used those of the black ones, even though they contain much tannin. The acorns of the basket or COW oak. the chinQuapin oak, shin or Rocky Mountain oak, live oak, and of several other species, are sweet enough to be eaten raw.
 Another nut which Is not suited for eating raw, but from which palatable food Is said to have been prepared by the Indians Is the buckeye. The ker- nels of these nuts were dried, powder ed, and freed of the poison which they contain when raw by filtration. The resulting paste was either eaten cold or baked.
 One of the best-known fruits, the which is edible only after it is thor oughly ripe. AS this is usually not until late in the fall 1t is commonly thought that the fruit must be frost bitten. If the persimmon Is eaten be- fore 1t is we'll ripened the tannic acid ly astringent effect, which justifies the story of the soldier fin the Civil war who said Re had eaten green persim- mons so as to shrink his stomach up to fit his rations. The pawpaw, or GUS tard apple, Is also best when thorough ly ripe. The fruit of some species of haws is eaten or preserved In different parts of the country, while those of several different kinds of cherries have food value and are used for various purposes. Wild plums are abundant in certain sections and occur In particularly plentiful quantities along the streams in the Eastern and middle Western states.
 Several varieties of wild crab ap- ples make delicious jellies. Some of the largest which attain the size of small apples, are more or less abun- dant throughout eastern North Caro- lima Elderberries are frequently used for pies and for sauce. Those found in the West are sweeter and have a better flavor than the Eastern varie- ties.
 Blackberry Has Agreeable Taste.
 The berries of the hackberry, or sugar berry, as 1t Is called in the South, are dry but have an agreeable taste. Those of the mulberry are sweet and juicy when ripe. The mul- berry Is valued in some sections for feeding hogs and poultry, and some species are occasionally cultivated.
 Many people like the fruit of the shad bush, "sarvice" berry, or June berry, as it is variously called. In parts of the country this fruit is used to make jelly.