CORRESPONDENCE

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XVI, Issue 4929, 18 January 1895, Page 3

CORRESPONDENCE

THE USES OF FRUIT.

[to the editor.] Sir, —As the frnitseason hasfairly commenced, permit me to give your readers a few culled facts as to its proper use and utility, " The way to bring np children," said Bronson Alcoit, father of the gifted Louisa M. Alcott, " is to teach them the ten commandments, and give them all the good ripe apples they can eat, Every family having available ground should plant and cultivate for home use, toe strawberry, raspberry, gooseberry, currant, grape, cherry, peach, pear, plum, and spple, so that a crop of all these ripe fruits can be enjoyed every day k ofJ

; the year. A good supply of the best i " home grown fruit" is ono of tho , cheapest articles of diet, and at tho ■ same time,one of the greatest factors i in promoting health, without which all else is comparatively worthless, 1 in fact, fruits, in the many ways in , which we enn now prepare them, | , have become with some, and should ' bo with all, a necessity. An old medical work, published :in London 200 years ago,begins with ; diseases of the digestive organs, and [the author's first prescription consists iof well ripe apples. Surely he was j a practical iindsensible physician for 1 his time. In this day of advancement, and great reforms in practise, jwe hold high appreciation of that | Doctor's prescription. , In all temperate climates the apple grows freely, and might be obtained in practically unlimited quantities. That it is not more fully used than it is, is due to the fact that being so plentiful it is under- ; valued. Yet everyone likes the t fruit in some fashion, as it should at j least form a part of every two meals ; out of three, the year round; for I even when tho fresh fruit is not in •season, the apple may be had either Idried, canned or "evaporated." "Chemically" says the North . American Practitioner, " tho applo i is composed of albumen, sugar, gum, ! chloropliyle, malic acid, gallic acid, lime, water, etc., further-more, the German analysts say that the apple i ■contains a larger per centago of, ' phosphorus than any other fruit or I vegetable. The phosphorus is adj mirably adapted for renewing the I j essential nervous matter of the brain 1 : and spinal cord. It is for this reason ■ that- the old Scandinavian traditions : represents the apple as the food of Gods, who,when they felt themselves to be growing feeble and infirm, resorted to this fruit, whereby to ( renew their powers of miud and j body."

; Not only the phosphorus, hut the acids of the apple are of singular use for persons of sedentary habits, whose . livers are too aptto be 6low of action, I these acids aid the liver in its work !of eliminating from the body the jnoxious matter, which, if retained, would make the body heavy and dull, or in time would cause rheumatism, jaundice, or skin eruptions,and I other allied troubles. The malic acid of apples, either raw or cooked, | will neutralize the ill effect of eating too much meat. Ripe apples are the least fermentable of all fruits. For this reason ripe and sound apples may be eaten by most persons in even the hottest weather. This fact was perhaps unconsciously testified to by tho General Manager of one of the largest fruit marts in New York, who, on recently being asked which was themostimpoitantbranch of the trade, promptly replied: "The apple, of course, all the other kinds of fruit are very good and useful as .icessones,buttbe farmer is a necessity-" There is the support of eminent medical authority in saying that the most healthful way to cook apples is to pare and core them, and bake in a moderate oven, If a quite sour variety add a little sugar, putting it in the hollow where the core was extracted. The next best way to prepare them is stewing. Contrary to common belief,apples baked in their skinsare the least healthful of cooked apples, but now, Jlr Editor, my subject suggests I had better go out and fetch me a good applo (we have them in abundance), 011 top of which a pipe of tobacco will complete the enjoyment of yours, etc., J.B.