I have been informed that if a stalk of bananas is placed in the sunshine, with the end of the stalk in water, the bananas will ripen almost as well as if they had been permitted to ripen on the tree and will have almost as delicious a flavor.

Bananas are excellent food for children and should be given them instead of candy, cakes, pies, sugar, etc. They will supply the child with the needed sugar in an easily assimilated form. All children relish them and will prefer them to the above abdominations. Give them well-ripened bananas and let them chew them well.

A lady once saw the writer give his little two year old son a banana to eat, and thought it a crime that I did not mash the banana up well before giving it to the boy. She had a girl only a few months older and fed her bananas this way. It is the writer's conviction that the wrong was on her side. Mashed bananas can be swallowed without chewing, but the whole banana requires some chewing before swallowing. The mother chewed the food of her daughter with a masher, but this did not insalivate it. The daughter then swallowed it without insalivating it.

It is true that a well-ripened banana does not require much insalivation but it should be given all that naturally comes to it in the necessary chewing. Other than this, children should not be fed in a manner that encourages them to swallow their food without chewing it.

Popular and quasi-scientific opinion has it that the banana is difficult to digest. So it is if eaten green, as is usually the case, while they are still starch, the green starch being almost insoluble. In this state they are much like green apples, green peaches, etc., and may result in trouble when eaten. There are few foods that are more easily digested than a fully ripened banana, and surely none with a stronger appeal to the unperverted taste. The use of tobacco seems to deprive the user more or less of his natural relish of fruit.

Berries: The acid of berries is chiefly citric, with small amounts of malic acid. All berries, except cranberries, are excellent foods. The strawberry possesses a delicate, sweet-acid flavor and a delightful aroma. It is rich in iron and lime, containing about a fourth of a grain of lime to the ounce. It excels all other fresh fruit, except figs and raspberries, in richness in iron. Strawberries are richer in iron than most vegetables, being excelled only by green peas and fresh lima beans.

Cranberries, unlike other fruits, contain an excess of acid minerals.

Cherries: Over two hundred varieties of this excellent fruit are grown in the United States, and their composition varies with the variety. They are rich in sugar, minerals and vitamins.

Dates: A sweet fruit of the palm, the date is an excellent source of simple sugar. It is richer than most fruits in protein, being richer, even, than mother's milk and is relatively high in minerals.

Figs: A prince among the sweet fruits are the many varieties of this anciently cultivated fruit (or flower). Native figs were found growing in Mexico, Central and So. America when the New World was discovered. Many varieties are grown in this country, although few varieties are known to the general public. The mineral content of figs closely resembles that of human milk. They are rich in sugar and are excellent sources of vitamins.

Grapes: Grapes merit their title, "King of Fruits." They are rich in iron and fruit sugar and vitamins. Their use in the famous "grape cures," of France and Southern Germany, has demonstrated their wonderful nutritive and "cleansing" value.

They contain from fifteen to thirty per cent sugar and, like most fruits, are low in protein. They are also rich in vitamin C.

Raisins: or dried grapes, are very rich in a readily assimilable sugar.

Haws: A delicious fruit growing wild in Southern United States and known as red haws and black haws, according to their color, these fruits are deserving of cultivation and wider use.

Mangoes: The mango is a tropical fruit and has long been cultivated by man. It does well in Florida, Southern Texas and in a few sheltered spots in California, although the best mangoes our market affords come from Central America. It is one of the most delicious of fruits and is destined to grow in popularity.

Melons: All melons are excellent foods. There was an old notion, fostered by the medical profession, that melons cause "chills" and "feners," remnants of which still exist and cause many people to reject these foods. Three general types of melons are produced in America. These are:

Casaba: Also known as the winter melon, is represented by several varieties, such as the casaba, honey dew, golden beauty, Christmas melon and other types.

Musk-melon: Most musk-melons are commonly known as Canteloupes. There are many varieties called canteloupes. In the South the term musk-melon is reserved for one variety which is much larger than the others and is ridged or sectional. The persian melon and the banana melon belong to this group. The banana melon gets its name from its shape, similar to that of the banana, although it grows to great length and is large in diameter.

Watermelons: These are among the largest of our fruits, often weighing more than a hundred pounds. There are many varieties of water melon. It is common to describe the outer skin of the water melon as green; some of them are golden yellow, It is also common to refer to the inner part or meat as red; there are water melons with yellow meat.

All kinds and varieties of melons are valuable for their minerals, vitamins, sugars and pure water.

Contrary to popular and professional belief, probably nobody is ever allergic to melons. My experience has been that so-called allergic individuals can take all the melons they desire without distress, if the melons are eaten alone. Melons do not combine well with other foods, except perhaps, other fruits.

Nectarines: are closely related to the peach and are sometimes classed as a variety of the peach. In appearance they seem to be a cross between a peach and a plum, as they have a smooth skin. The composition of the nectarine is similar to that of the peach, although its flavor is distinctive.

Oranges are rich in lime and other alkaline salts. They have a delightful flavor and may be relished by everyone. Their use combats "acidosis" and prolongs youth. These, with grapefruit, are our best agents in feeding the sick. As a cleansing diet, I prefer the grapefruit.

The experiments of B. Leichtentritt (on guinea pigs) in an effort to determine the relations between the presence of "accessory food factors" in the diet and the course of tuberculosis provide wonderful testimony in favor of acid fruits. When he added lemon juice to a "basal diet" this made a very great difference. The lemon juice improved the general nutrition of the pig--especially the fat storing power--and "raised its resistance to the tubercle bacillus." The bacillus was forced to live on the dead tissue and excreta (were restored to their normal saprophytic work) and forced to abandon their parasitic activities. The different diet compelled the bacillus to change its tactics and, if it continued to grow freely, did so without producing any definite toxic effect.

I have not discussed grapefruit (pomelo), lemons, tangerines, tangeloes, etc., under separate heads, because, in general, what is said of the orange applies also to these fruits. Even the pineapple is not greatly different from these foods. The orange is richer in sugar than most other citrus fruits. The Texas grapefruit is richly supplied with sugar and is not bitter. The pinks and ruby reds are very popular, though not superior in flavor or food value to the white grapefruit.

Papayas: Called also a "tree melon" because of its resemblance to a melon, this fruit grows on a giant herbaceous plant and not on a tree. It is a valuable and delicious fruit, but lacks all the magic and medicinal virtues with which the salesmen of papaya juice and papaya extracts invest it. It is a tropical fruit but does well in Florida and the Lower Rio Grande Valley section of Texas. It does not stand shipping and must be eaten "on the ground" to be really appreciated.

The vitamin content of the papaya is a feature that has attracted considerable attention. Bulletin No. 77 of the Department of Agriculture tells us that the papaya contains four vitamins. The vitamin content according to international units per 100 gms., is about 2,500 units of vitamin A, 33 units of vitamin B and 70 units of vitamin C. Vitamin D is present but the amount is as yet, undetermined. This is a relatively high vitamin content.

Prescribing papaya with protein meals because of the presence in it of the enzyme, papain, or vegetable pepsin, as an aid to digestion is wrong. Because of the presence of this enzyme in the fruit, it should never be eaten with protein foods. Teaching the stomach to rely upon outside sources of digestive enzymes, instead of removing the cause of digestive impairment, is a ruinous practice.

Pawpaws: The American Pawpaw must be distinguished from the papaya, which is also sometimes spelled "papaw" and "pawpaw." Our pawpaw, a native of the United States, grows best in the Mississippi Valley where it was highly valued by the Indians. Someday it will be more widely cultivated in America. Unfortunately, it does not ship well and is but little known outside its native haunts. Carque says it is fully equal, if not superior, to the banana in nutritive value. It surpasses all other varieties of fresh fruit in protein content, its edible portion possessing 5.2 per cent protein. It is also rich in sugar.

Peaches: Flavored by the presence of a very small quantity of hydro-cyanic acid and fruit ethers, the peach is one of the most delicious of fruits. Low in protein and fat, comparatively rich in sugar, the many varieties of peaches are chiefly valuable for their vitamins and the sodium, potassium and calcium that make up most of their mineral content.

Pears: Botanically related to the apple, pears are similar to apples in composition, but contain more sugar and less malic acid. Pears are not especially rich in vitamin A.

Persimmons: Carque says the persimmon comes to us from Japan. This is true only of certain varieties. We have many varieties of persimmons that are native to the Southern part of the United States, and they are more tasty than the Japanese persimmon, though smaller. He says that in color, the persimmon resembles the tomato. This is also true only of certain varieties. There are black persimmons. The persimmon is among the most delicious of fruits.

Plums and Prunes: The many delightful varieties of plums are rich in sugar, minerals and vitamins. The dried prune may contain seventy per cent sugar, hence deserves to be classed as a sweet fruit. Plums are not especially rich in vitamin A.

Tomatoes: are commonly classed as vegetables but we shall consider them as fruits. They are the equal of oranges, both in vitamins and in alkaline elements and are the finest of foods. For a long time tomatoes or "love apples" were regarded as poisonous and were grown in flower beds as ornaments. People would not eat them, although the Indians had eaten them for ages. The old physio-medicalists claimed that they contained mercury and would rot the liver. Regular medical men eschewed them because they "make the blood acid." There are still people who believe that tomatoes are poisonous and that they build acidosis. There are still physicians who proscribe the tomato in rheumatic cases.

The tomato contains 1.40 per cent alkaline salts as against .34 per cent acid salts. It is so predominantly alkaline that its use cannot be too strongly urged. The juice of the tomato ranks next to orange juice in its beneficial effects. We can recommend it to babies and adults in large quantities. Tomatoes should be eaten uncooked and properly combined.

Tomatoes are also rich in vitamin A.