The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-05-28
What tVn Eof

q great deal of attention, and has been
instigated particularly during the last
two or three decades. The subject has
occupied great attention the last dec
aGs, and q vast amount of theenergy
has been directed to every day life.
The subject has been investigated,
both physiologically and pecuniarily.
Foods may be classified as follows:
Edible substances which are composed
OF nutrients and water and refuse.
Nutrients are divided into four classes
the proteins, fats, carbohydrates
and minera! matters. The portein in
cludes a class to which various names
areapplied. Thisclass contains all the
heterogeneous matter. The fats include
the fat proper, butter, olive oil, the
oil OF corn, meal, etc. The carbohy-
drates are the starches and
sugars. Potatoes come under this
class. The mineral class includes the
calcium and magnesium compounds,
the phosphates, chlorides, etc. Prof.
Atwater took the common foods. and
on the basis of 100 parts showed the
available nutritive quantities in each.
In lean beef, such as round, there are
80 parts of protein, in sirloin a little
less, about the same quantity in the
beeffrom the neck, and in aleg o. mut-
ton rs in the %sirloin. Fat pork con-
tains a large amount of nutriment.
Fish is less nutritive than the meats,
but five pounds of nutritive material
being obtained from 100 pounds OF
material. 1t usually contains about
5 per cent. Salt mackeral is among
the most nutritive, and founder is one
of the poorest. But if we remove the
bone and waste we get more nutritive
matter in proportion. In a pint of
milk and a pint OF oysters there is the
same amount OF nutriment, although
the oysters contain more protein, and
the milk contains more fat. Cheese
contains a large amount of nutrition.
Butter has 81 l-2 per cent. of nutri-
tive matter. The pseudo butter, oleo-
margarine. has about the same value
in this matter. The breads represent
ing the carbohydrates contain about
80 or 35 percent. OF water, -four from
8 to 13 per cent, corn and maize meal
still more water. They have less pro-
TEN and more fat; oatmeal has, on
the contrary, more protein and
less lat. In general, this class
contains most all nutritive material
and but little water. A pound of po-
tato, however, cantains a large
amount OF water and but little pro-
TEN. The figures on which the state
ments are based are not sc s~atisfacto-
ry as could be desired, as most Of the
experiments have been carried on in
Europe, especially those Of the animal
foods. The vegetablefoods have been
more investigated in this country than
the animal. The digestibility OF foods
has been experimental upon extern
sively by Prof. Volt, OF Munich, who
has arrived at some satisfactory re-
suits. 1t depends upon the east OF d.
gestion, the time OF Digestion, and,
lastly, the relation of food to the pc
culiarity Of the individual and the
suitableness to the digestive organs.
The greater percentages Of food is d.
gested. The method OF experiment in
this line has been fraught with serious
difficulties, and IS very complicated
at best. The basis OF the experimental
ton is, from the amount of food con-
sumed, to subtract the amount undi-
gested, the difference being that digest
ed. These experiments were tried very
successfully upon the diner" OF the
laboratory, who survived, however,
under all the experiments. he being re.
CURED to eat only fish for so many
days, and again meat OF the kind
for a certain time. AS q result of
these experiments it was learned
that both lean meat and fish
were thoroughly and completely di-
gested. Most all of meat. milk and
eggs are digested. OF the fats from
IS to 90 per cent. are digested. The
whole OF the wheat, the speaker said,
should be eaten because Of the large
amount OF protein in the husk; but
the economical difference is but very
little. In short, animal foods are
more completely digested than the
vegetable foods. The amount OF ex-
pertinent III this direction is not sufi-
Gent, however, to warrant generaliza-
ton. The pecuniary economy of
foods may be studied In several ways.
We can take the separate ingredients
and figure the cost OF food, or we can
take the comparative cost OF a pound
Of protein from beef, fish, etc. The
cost OF one pound OF protein from sir
loin beet at 25 centsa pound is Sl.O6;
from mutton at % cents, 81 cents;
from beef (neck) at s cents, SO cents;
from tenderloin beef at 60 cents, $2.-
So. Hence it will be seer that the
neck OF beef is byfarthe most econom-
lcal to buy to get the protein. So in
beef we a get it from .33 to $685.,
according as we buy the cheap or ex-
! pensive parts. In vegetable foods the
/ protein costs much less. In fish the
cost runs from "a cents to SOIL,
which is the price paid for 1T in,
early salmon; in eggs at 25 cents per
dozen, S1.Ol; milk at Scents aquart,
81 cents. In the cereals the cost of
the protein is far different, costing
pound; in oatmeal, IA cents; in flour
at So per barrel. IL cents. A chart
was shown showing the quantity OF
nutriment purchased for 25 cents of
the ordinary foods. Meats are very
expensive, and the grains, beans, ETC.,
are by far the most economical. For
example, 25 cents will buy seven
pounds of protein in Indian meal at
2 cents per pound, while but a frao-
ton of a pounds to be obtained from
the meats in general. exceptinfa fat pork.
Thus animal foods are much more ex-
pensive. The protein OF the food is
that which contains the nitrogen and
forms the heterogeneous matter III, the
body, that is, the blood, the mascle,
skin and n large part OF the principal
tissues. A part of the fat OF the body
comes from the protein, which always
contributes to the Sllpolv of heat and