In the cooking of vegetables it should be borne in mind that all woody tissues, whether in the roots or stalks, the husks or skins, are nearly devoid of nutriment and quite indigestible; they should, therefore, be removed. Vegetables should generally be boiled, this being continued long enough to disintegrate the tissues and allow the starch granules to break up. The saline and saccharine constituents being extracted by the water, vegetables lose some of their main elements especially if the water be soft. This renders it advisable to add a little salt to the water. The salt also acts to preserve the color of green vegetables. The garden vegetables of this country are numerous and varied in character, and may be served in many ways. Chief among them are potatoes and tomatoes, which rank amid the most constant constituents of meals.