The Sweet Potato is an Old World plant, known long before the discovery of America. It is harder to keep than the round or white potato, easily undergoing a sort of sugary decay. At the best, it is not quite so easily digested as the round potato. The ya))i of the East and West Indies, is a root some- what analagous to the sweet potato, and another similar root is a good deal eaten in the Sandwich Islands. The Tomato is really a /'/vc//. It is more nearly always wholesome for everybody than any other of what we call vegetables. Tur- nips, carrots, parsnips, the onion, cabbage, squash, and salsify, all rank below potatoes and tomatoes in digestibility. Cauliflowers and Cabbages, are plants of the same species, differently developed. But the cauliflower is, under cultivation, much the most tender and digestible. '/ J no THE FAMIL Y DOCTOR Beets, when young, are very easily digested ; quite otherwise after they grow old and tough. Asparagus, of the best quality, is entirely wholesome. Spinach, in good condition, is not at all indigestible. Mushrooms are strong and meat-like food, wholesome for most, but not for all people. The point of importance is, to be sure they arc mushrooms. A number of other ficngi are safe and nourishing, but some are very poisonous. Never gather or eat what are called mushrooms unless they have, un- derneath, pink gills, so called, and above, as w^ell as on the stem , a skin which can be easily peeled off ; also, they have no unpleas- ant taste or smell, and grow not in dark woods, but in rather open fields. Celery, when white and tender, is, in moderation, very wholesome, either raw or stewed. It represents, when eaten raw, a class of food articles (the radish and lettuce are others) of more importance than is gener- ally appreciated. We need, every few days, to take something in its natural state, which has " never seen the fire." Fruits. As a rule, fresh fruits are ivholesome . They promote the natural action of the bowels, and are refreshing and antiscorbutic. When the bowels are disordered, as in diar- rhoea or dysentery (except when these result from sciL7^vy ),they are not suitable. All fruits are not equally digestible or desirable for persons of uncertain health. Peaches, apples, and oranges come the nearest to being good for everybody while in health ; and oranges, as well as the finer and more delicate kinds of grapes, are often with ad vantage allowed to the sick . Many grapes have a tough pulp, which ought not to be swallowed ; and the seeds never should be. They, and apple cores, and even cherry- stones, are often taken into the stomach, with no harm following. But they are not digestible, and now and then they collect together and cause obstruction. There is a queer little offset to the large intestine into which, in a few instances, an apple-seed or some such thing has found its way, produc- ing an inflammation ending in death. 574 The least wholesome of our domestic kinds maybe said to be the clierry, and, doubtful for all dyspeptics, also, pears; of foreign fruits, figs and pineapples. Prunes (partly dried plums), yz^^-^^', and dates are especially laxative to the bowels.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The Sweet Potato is an Old World plant, known long before the discovery of America. It is harder to keep than the round or white potato, easily undergoing a sort of sugary decay. At the best, it is not quite so easily digested as the round potato. The yam of the East and West Indies, is a root somewhat analogous to the sweet potato, and another similar root is a good deal eaten in the Sandwich Islands. The Tomato is really a fruit. It is more nearly always wholesome for everybody than any other of what we call vegetables. Turnips, carrots, parsnips, the onion, cabbage, squash, and salsify, all rank below potatoes and tomatoes in digestibility. Cauliflowers and Cabbages, are plants of the same species, differently developed. But the cauliflower is, under cultivation, much the most tender and digestible. '/ J no Beets, when young, are very easily digested ; quite otherwise after they grow old and tough. Asparagus, of the best quality, is entirely wholesome. Spinach, in good condition, is not at all indigestible. Mushrooms are strong and meat-like food, wholesome for most, but not for all people. The point of importance is, to be sure they arc mushrooms. A number of other fungi are safe and nourishing, but some are very poisonous. Never gather or eat what are called mushrooms unless they have, underneath, pink gills, so called, and above, as well as on the stem , a skin which can be easily peeled off ; also, they have no unpleasant taste or smell, and grow not in dark woods, but in rather open fields. Celery, when white and tender, is, in moderation, very wholesome, either raw or stewed. It represents, when eaten raw, a class of food articles (the radish and lettuce are others) of more importance than is generally appreciated. We need, every few days, to take something in its natural state, which has " never seen the fire." Fruits. As a rule, fresh fruits are wholesome . They promote the natural action of the bowels, and are refreshing and antiscorbutic. When the bowels are disordered, as in diarrhoea or dysentery (except when these result from scurvy ),they are not suitable. All fruits are not equally digestible or desirable for persons of uncertain health. Peaches, apples, and oranges come the nearest to being good for everybody while in health ; and oranges, as well as the finer and more delicate kinds of grapes, are often with ad vantage allowed to the sick . Many grapes have a tough pulp, which ought not to be swallowed ; and the seeds never should be. They, and apple cores, and even cherrystones, are often taken into the stomach, with no harm following. But they are not digestible, and now and then they collect together and cause obstruction. There is a queer little offset to the large intestine into which, in a few instances, an apple-seed or some such thing has found its way, producing an inflammation ending in death. The least wholesome of our domestic kinds maybe said to be the cherry, and, doubtful for all dyspeptics, also, pears; of foreign fruits, figs and pineapples. Prunes (partly dried plums), raisins, and dates are especially laxative to the bowels.

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