It is likewise true that the nutritive power of this grain could in no way be increased by allowing it to decay before consumption; indeed, the contrary must be the case, and, if it were in no manner actually harmful, our sense of the aesthetic and of what is proper to eat, should make us reject in this case, as with other foods, that which is unsightly to the eye and unpleasant to the taste. We should no more eat bad grain than a rotten apple, or putrefying meat. The increased prevalence of pellagra is exciting attention all over the United States, and is very generally assumed to be the result of lack of care in the harvesting and preservation of our corn. Instead of being cut before it is ripe, and shocked in the field during the latter part of the summer, it should be allowed to ripen on the stalk, and after cold weather sets in gathered while dry, and preserved in well-covered and well-ventilated barns. Every care should be taken to keep it dry while being shipped from one part of the country to another, and similar precaution should be observed with the various food-products made from it. If kept in a cold place, meal or grits made of good corn may be preserved in excellent condition for eating throughout the winter; but as soon as the warm weather begins they should be stored in the refrigerator, and should there remain during the summer; similar precaution should be taken with meal or other corn-products during the hot months. Over a large area of the United States corn-bread is an article of daily diet with a great majority of the inhabitants, and its wholesomeness as compared with other breads becomes, therefore, an important question. Unfortunately, corn-meal does not lend itself to the preparation of a dry bread having sufficient consistency to require chewing. It is true that the crusts of the bread made from this grain answer these requirements fairly well, and there is therefore no reason why this part of it should not be used to any extent, provided it be prepared from good meal. We should endeavor to cook thin pones of the bread rather than the thicker ones so common in the south. The objection that corn-bread can only be masticated with difficulty applies to the other preparations of this cereal, such as egg-bread, muffins, etc., and they are not, therefore, with the exception of the crusts, to be looked upon as being the best form of bread. Corn-cakes, like all batter-bread, are to be mentioned only to be condemned. Grits and hominy are soft and moist and cannot be properly chewed, and are, therefore, not to be recommended as good breads. Corn-starch preparations are likewise entirely lacking in the elements required to make good bread, and should only be used occasionally and in small amounts.