ich at first
thought seem to give an inadequate return. There is an old adage, "An
apple a day keeps the doctor away," which if true means that the apple is
a real economy, a kind of health insurance, for an apple costs seldom over
five cents--often only one--and a doctor's visit may easily cost a hundred
times as much. There is a certain amount of truth in the saying, though
the apple does not have a monopoly of the supposed virtue. It is more
accurate, if less poetic, to say that an _assortment_ of fruits and
vegetables helps to keep us in good health. Before the days of modern
"cold pack" canning, mothers used to assemble their little home groups in
the spring and, in spite of sundry hidings under tables on the part of
reluctant Johnnies and Susies, dutifully portion out herb tea or sulphur
in molasses. Spring cleaning could never stop short of "cleansing the
blood!" And after a monotonous winter of salt pork and fried potatoes no
doubt heroic measures were necessary to make up for an ill-chosen diet.
Nowadays we recognize no such seasonal need. We carry our surplus of
fruits and vegetables over from summer to winter and profit not only in
the greater daily pleasure of our tables but in clearer skins, brighter
eyes, and less "spring fever."

How do fruits and vegetables help to keep us well? In the first place, by
their wholesome effect upon the bowels. As a rule we associate regular
daily movements with health, but do not always recognize the part which
diet plays in securing them. If we eat little besides meat and potatoes,
bread, butter, and cake or pie, we are very likely to have constipation.
This is particularly true for those who work indoors or sit much of the
time. Now, fruits and vegetables have several properties which help to
make them laxative. Many have considerable woody fiber. In celery and
asparagus we find it in actual "strings"; in cabbage, spinach, lettuce,
and other stem or leaf vegetables it may not be so noticeable, but it is
certainly present and we should realize that it is useful. The skins of
fruit are of this nature and may often be eaten, as in case of prunes,
figs, apples, dried peaches and apricots. The outer coats of grains, which
serve the same purpose, are frequently removed by milling, but similar
coats of peas and beans are not so removed except in the case of dried
split peas. In the juices of fruits and vegetables we find a variety of
laxative substances. This explains why apple j