Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1898-01-22

Nv 6: :: !: :: :: :: :; !:
ed BY important ex-
perlments made BY government dietary ex.
perts. 1t will be well for you to learn how
to board comfortably at this rate.
Inc experiments which led to the discov-
cry that family could live more than com.
Iertaoiy at such rate per man were con-
quoted under the auspices Of the DEPART.
ment OF Agriculture BY DR.. W. z. Stone.
Tie subjects consisted Of a professor of
mathematics. between ffty ana sixty years
OLD; an instructor In chemistry, twenty.
f1ve years old; q woman teacher. thirty
years old; housewife between forty aud
nifty and two male students, each about
twenty-five. The study LASTED exactly two
weeks, during which time the subjects reg
uiarly ate as much as they wished three
times day. They were all healthy. active
persons. with good appetites, using no med
icines or narcotics Of any kind
Measurtng the Food.
At the beginning of the experiment q
careful inventory by weight was taken of
all the food and food materials in the
house All the food purchased afterward
during the two weeks was likewise weigh
ed and likewise recorded. All table and
Kitchen waste was carefully weighed COL
lected; dried and analysed. Each portion
was placed In drying oven, subjected to a
temperature Of 30 degrees c., deprived of
all moisture, ground into a powder and pre-
served for analy sis. Samples Of all the
KINDS OF food eaten were prepared for an
alysis In the same manner. Thus was es-
tlmated exactly what proportions of nutri-
ticus Ingredients the subjects actually ate.
Analysis was. Of course. necessary. that
the proportions OF protein, carbohydrates
and fat might be accurately determined
These are the essential constituents of food
ard their proportions mean everything to
dietarfans, though little to the popular
mind. Protein is the principal life-giyer
contained in food. 1t includes all the nitro
sc nous products. Although the most val
liable ingredient 1t alone will not suffice to
sustain life. Carbohydrates and fats must
be added. In the two weeks of the investi-
cation the six subjects consumed 1913
pounds Of animal and 1864 pounds of veg
etable food The animal food cost $97
and the vegetable food $4.6O. ma king a total
expenditure of $1437, at the rate of Is cents
per man per day and 1ik cents per woman
per day.
The food was as luxurious as the average
man Of the professional class might care
to eat The animal food included porter
house and sirloin steak. round and Shout
der of beef, round Of veal and pork, smoked
dried beef, eggs, butter. mincemeat and
milk. The vegetable food included honey
maple syrup, oranges, bananas, cranber-
ries dried peaches. prunes, raisins, nuts,
lettuce, parsnips, heminy. canned corn,
cornmcal. flour. sugar. beans, potatoes,
radishes and apples. The food when pur-
chased contained about nineteen pounds
OF protein nineteen pounds Of fat and six
ty pounds OF carbohydrates. Sixty-three
per cent of the total substance eaten was
animal food The total table and kitchen
waste amounted in the two weeks to about
nGnn
draw line under that! The investigation
resulted in showing that each man In the
family required 1.Y7 pounds of vegetable
and 2.32 pounds of animal food Each
man was found to require per day a quar-
ter Of a pound Of protein. about the same
amount of fat and II pound of carbohy-
drates. According to formula, carefully
prepared. the women were found to re-
qutre about eight-tenths as much as the
men. This would bring the price of the
food eaten by each woman per day down
to fourteen ana a half cents.
An Economical Family.
The meats eaten during the two weeks
were usually lean. This the expert re-
garded as desirable characteristic The
lean meats contained a high percentage
of protein per pound, not contained in
fat. Recent investigations indicate that
Americans as rule. eat their meat too
fat. This rule. of course, cannot be ap-
piled to every one. since some palates re-
quire fat. Housewives may profit by many
other economical practices of this fam
lily. For instance. they ate homemade
bread and cakes. thereby saving several
hundred per cent of what would ordinarily
be spent at the bakers. An investigation
lately made by the Department of Agri-
culture resulted in showing that the aver
age baker in the United States sells for
$21G50 each 800 worth of materials used
in bread making. This economical family
also consumed an unusual amount of milk
which Is cheap and very nutritive form
CT food. The motto of the family was
that the most costly food is not the most
attractive nor the most nutritious In the
long run. Efforts were made to purchase
food containing the maximum Of nourish-
ment and the minimum of waste and TO
give each person as much as he desired
AS a result, over ninety-six per cent of all
the food purchased was eaten. Economy
could not be brought down to a much
finer point.
Studies already made supply available
but hitherto untouched data which might
we'll be woven into a severe lecture for
proprfated money for the investigation.
and this money has resulted in exposing
the lady in question rather surprisingly.
1t would apear that in most instances
she Is not doing her duty. by a long shot
1t has been said that there is but one
great darkness, and that is ignorance.
This cloud OF darkness seems to have
enveloped every man and woman. as far
as his knowledge of cooking is concerned.
Until lately. The housewives real prob
lem, In going to market-though she does
OF know it's how to purchase the most
and best nutriment for her money What
Gees she know about the proportions of
protein which are necessary to make blood
and muscle. bone and brain? If her hus-
band earns an income of about $500 a year,
about 500 Of it would ordinarily be spent