Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-04-09

nut bearing pines rests in fond
ness of these trees for waste places where little
else will grow. and they need less attention per-
haps than other trees Of the nut-bearng group
1t is probable however, that the extensive plant
ing cf pine trees for food purposes will have to
wait until we have advanced to the point of put
ting ether kinds of nut trees upon GOOD ground
first Pines will be employed for the more barren
hillsides when the people of 300 years from now
complain of the high cost of living.
1t is not generally known that some OF the
smaller pine nuts like those of the singe-leayed
pine of the sugar pine are delicious when
cracked and eaten out of hand. The smaller pine
nuts are pounded up by the Indians with little
water, and the thick, rich, creamy emulsion like
hickory milk can be kept for long time without
decomposition IN addition to the nuts of the
sugar pine the Indians collect the sugar of dried
juice which exudes at points where cuts have been
made in the tree for the purpose.
In Europe and Asia pine nuts for the market
cracked by machinery or by cheap hand labor, and
II is probable that we may eventually hull some
of the smaller ones buckwheat is hued.
With few exceptions nuts contain little carbohy-
drate (starch or sugar.. They are, however, rich
In fat and protein. On account of their high fat
content they are probably the most highly con
centrated of all natural foods. pound of nuts
contains an average of than 3006 calories.
double the amount supplied by grains, four times
as mucn as average meats and ten times much
as average fruits and vegetables.
The notion that nuts are difficult of digestion
has really no foundation, In fact The idea is
probably the natural outgrOwth of the custom of
eating nuts at the close of a meal when
abundance of highly nutritious food has already
been eaten, and the equally Injurious custom of
eating nuts between meals. Failure of thorough
mastication must also be mentioned possible
cause of indigestion. Tie fats of nuts are the
most digestibe of all forms of fat.
Whole races of men. comprising many millions
live without meats of any sort. and when fed a
sufficient amount of othe foods are wonderfully
vigorous, prolific enduring and intelligent.
The great economic Importance Of the encour-
agement of nut culture in every civilized land is
best shown by comparing the amount of food
which may be annually produced by an acre of
land planted TO nut trees and the same area de-
voted TO the production of beef. On an average
two acres of land and two years are required to
produce steer weighing 600 pounds The prod
net of one acre for one year would be one fourth
as much. The same land planted TO walnut trees
would produce average of at least 100 pounds
per tree per annum for the first twenty years
Forty trees to the would aggregate 1000
pounds of nuts 1000 pounds of walnut meats
The highest food value which could be ascribed
to the $50 pounds Of beef furnished by a steer
weighing 600 pounds, would be 10000 calories
The food value of the nut meats would be 100000
calories, twenty times much food from the
nut trees from the fattened steer and food Of
the same general character, protein and fat but
of superior quality. The walnut is not the only
promising food tree. The hickory the pecan tho
butternut, the lbert and the pinon all capable
of producing equal or greater results.