Sugar is better supplied the child in a lump or in home-made candy, rather than in the sweetening of porridge, oatmeal, or bread and milk, etc. Sweet fruits, fully ripened, contain much sugar and should be freely given to the child. The natural flavor of fruits and grains is very largely destroyed by sugar, which is used too freely on many articles of diet. Most vegetables and fruits contain sugar,—indeed sugar is the only nutriment in many fruits. The sweet taste in all fruits and vegetables is due to its presence. Sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, parsnips, turnips, grapes, figs, and dates are especially rich in sugar and when these are furnished with a meal, in any appreciable quantity, the starches should be restricted—notably bread, potatoes and rice. Harvesters, road-makers and others, who do hard work in the open air, can consume large quantities of sugar in pie, pastry, etc., which are difficult to digest, while one who lives an indoor life, should refrain from an undue indulgence in these. For one who is undernourished, sugar is a desirable food, if the starch be diminished in proportion as the amount of sugar is increased; but the inclination in sweetening foods is to take more starch than the system requires, since it is the carbohydrate foods which are ordinarily sweetened,—not the proteins. On account of the latent heat and energy, sugars are more desirable in cold weather than in warm. Nature supplies them more abundantly in root vegetables for this season. More puddings and heavier desserts are eaten in winter. * * * * * [Sidenote: Starch] Starch is one of the most important carbohydrates used for nutrition. It is formed by the chemical action produced by the sun’s rays upon the cells of living plants, from the carbon-dioxid and water in the air and in the soil. Corn starch, sago, tapioca, and arrowroot are practically pure starch. Cornstarch is from young maturing corn; tapioca is from the meal of a tropical plant, cassava; sago is from the pith of the sago palm; arrowroot is from a plant of the same name, a native of the West Indies. Rice is almost pure starch, while wheat and other cereals contain from sixty to seventy per cent. Starch lacks flavor and for this reason all starchy foods are seasoned.