Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-05-27

1 Living 6fbhtrt itlf aShhAAbsF dAPtbtA 49,
this country the people have not had their
attention called especially to nutritious
feypis that are cheap, a. has been done in the
older, poorer AMI now thiekiy populated
| parts of the world. II il not strange that
under the conditions prevailing in this eoun-
try much Of food products as Of other re-
To Obtain valuable returns from these and
to bring 10 the knowledge Of the public
the methods Of obtaining these returns
is work which will rebound to the honor
OF those who undertake it. Edward Akin
son who has done the world service in sew
ersl lines. finds in skim-milk most valuable
food elements for man that are now either
largely wasted or fed to animals which give
but 4 small return for the real value their
food contains. Without being technically
chemical. it may be said that these yalus-
bic elements in skim-miik are proteiu cofa-
pounds, which offer almost complete food
In themselves and can be- extracted from
the milk 10 the form of skim milk cheese
highly nutritious and palatable, provided
one knows how 10 eat It. But here the
trouble comes in. The people who would
be- most benefited by a cheap and highly
nutritious article of food either do no,
know what valuable article is within their
reach, or do not enjoy eating it. If they are
acquainted with its merits. Mr.. Atkinson
evidently thinks they are ignorant in both
particulars.
To show the value of tins cheese az food
he compares IL in its constituents with the
best sirioin beef, from which it appears that
a pound of protein fof which aman engaged
IN active labor needs one quarter OF pound
per day can be secured in the form of
skin-milk cheese at cost of Is cents,
while pound of protein in the form of sir
Lola steak would s i 06. notwithstanding
the exceeding cheapness and nutriiiousness
of such cheese il is a well known fact that
very little of this food is eaten either by
rich or poor, because, as Mr.. Atkinson
thinks, the people are ignorant of its value
or ignorant of the proper way to eat it.
Raw. it is indige stlbie and not over pala-
table, hut If cooked in any one of numerous
ways suggested by this apostle Of better and
cheaper living it is said to he exceedingly
agreeable.
With skim milk cheese made rs much an
article of food as butter-at least among
the working classes of onr great cities and
towns-there would be greatly increased
revenue on the dairy farms of the country
and IN the creamery associations which are
supplying so large portion of the market
with butter. Very little of the food value
of milk is removed in the making of butter,
and to feed the entire remainder to hogs at
common prices Of pork is certainly obtain
ing a small price for the grea, amount of
nutrition it contains, and which, if il could
he Incorporated into the daily diet of the
American people, woull return a large rev
enue to the farms.
There seems to be- no law in Mr. Akin
sons argument for, chemically considered.
It can be shown that skim-milk contains al
most all the elements necessary for the sup
mort of life and the rebuilding of tissue
used up in active labor. 1t can also be
shown, taking the physiological side of the
question, that skim milk cheese is some
what tough and hard to digest, and that to
on. accustomed to whole milk cheese it
tastes Hat and unpal stable, II eaten raw,
but that If property cooked 1t ia readily III
gested, and becomes moreover an appci,z-
ing article of food. The point. then, to be
considered il this Can the american peo-
pie be taught the value of this article and
can they he made to like it when they find
how valuable and how cheap it is?