Sweet Potatoes; Squash; Pumpkin.

Sweet Potato (Ipomaea Batatas, Lamarck)

The sweet potato belongs to the morning glory family. In this country we have three or four varieties, containing more or less starch, and more or less sugar. The large so-called "yam" of the South (which, by the way, is no relation to the yam) is rich in sugar, and unless carefully cooked becomes rather pasty and is not a suitable diet for the sick. The smaller red sweet potatoes contain a considerable amount of gum and dextrin. According to Church, the composition of an ordinary Central American sweet potato is as follows:

Water ......................................... 75.0

Albuminoids, etc............................... 1.5

Starch ......................................... 15.0

Sugar ......................................... 1.7

Dextrin, and gum ............................. 2.2

Pectose ........................................ 0.9

Fat ............................................ 0.4

Cellulose ....................................... 1.8

Mineral matter................................. 1.5