cooked, and as they come
on in the early spring when other fresh vegetables cannot be obtained,
they furnish a most acceptable addition to the dietary. When old, after
their skins become tough, they cease to be digestible, and should not be
eaten except in the form of purees, during the preparation of which the
hull is removed.

Lentils are scarcely eaten at all in America, but are much prized in some
portions of the Old World, as the basis of soups.

Peanuts belong to the group of legumes, though, unlike the others that
serve as food, they grow beneath the surface of the ground. They are
highly nutritious, but are, unfortunately, indigestible, owing largely to
the high percentage of oil that they contain. The latter is extracted,
and is sometimes sold as olive-oil; in a somewhat different form it is
made into a sort of butter which is quite palatable.

_Roots, Tubers, and Yams._--Sweet and Irish potatoes, which constitute
the most important members of this group, have already been discussed
under the head of breads. Of those that remain, some few, as beets and
artichokes, may be regarded as related to those just referred to, while
others, such as carrots, turnips, radishes, parsnips, etc., are generally
reckoned among the succulent tubers on account of the large proportion of
juice that they contain. Irrespective of the beet, which furnishes a
considerable portion of the sugar of commerce, none of them may be looked
upon as foods of a very important character, as they contain only
relatively small proportions of sugars, starches, and nitrogenous
materials. Beets, however, do contain a very high percentage of that
which makes potatoes so popular,--about eighty-five per cent. of starches
and sugars, with only a trifle of nitrogenous material. When young and
tender they are often eaten as a salad, either alone or mixed with other
vegetables, and are generally regarded as being wholesome and highly
nutritious. They should not be eaten by dyspeptics when pickled, on
account of the vinegar.

Artichokes are occasionally eaten, but are not nutritious, although they
agree well with many persons.

Carrots, when young and fresh, are fairly digestible, but like other
vegetables are exceedingly apt, particularly if old, to produce
intestinal disturbances in dyspeptics. They are not very commonly eaten
in the United States, but where selected with care we would profit by
their more frequent use. They contain a small percentage