During the past few years, it has been found that we must have in our foods a certain amount of substances whose chemical nature is at present unknown and to which the name of vitamines has been given. It is not my purpose to discuss with you the many phases of vitamines and their relation to nutrition, but I only wish to impress upon you the fact that it is of the utmost importance for a dietary to contain these substances; fully as important as that the protein, fat, carbohydrate, and inorganic salt content shall be satisfactory. Lack of these vitamines brings on various evidences of mal-nutrition. One vitamine which is found in animal fats and the leaves of plants and is soluble in, and associated with fats, is, for that reason, called fat soluble vitamine. Another called the water soluble vitamine is widely distributed in cereal seeds, vegetables, and legumes. The third, the so-called antiscorbutic vitamine because of its action as preventative and cure for scurvy, is found in certain fruits and vegetables. We then ask the next question: Are nuts adequate as far as their proteins contain these essential amino acids, and do nuts contain vitamines? That is, is their biological value as satisfactory as their digestibility? Dr. Hoobler of Detroit, in a study of the diets of lactating mothers and wet nurses, a year or so ago, compared the value of proteins from animal and vegetable sources for the elaboration of milk. He found that a mixture of the almond, English walnut, peanut and pecan, furnished proteins that were equal to the animal food tried, and far superior to other vegetable proteins. Here then is evidence that nuts provide the necessary building stones to form milk that food par excellence for the newly born individual. Drs. Mendel and Osborn, experimenting on white rats have shown that the principle proteins of the Brazil nut will maintain animals through the growing period. Bureau of Chemistry workers and others have found similar results with the coconut and the peanut. I have now, experiments underway at New Haven, on the biological value of the filbert, English walnut, pine nut, almond, and pecan. While these tests are yet incompleted, it can at least be said that to date there is no evidence that the proteins of these nuts are in any way less satisfactory than those of the peanut or Brazil nut that have been thoroughly tested out.