The age-herald., 1902-04-30

Citizen.
 Prof. H. w. Wiley, chief of the bureau of chemistry, United States Department of Agriculture, who Is well known in Florida, having visited this state, sends to the Times-Unio and Citizen the fol- lowing article, now so timely in consider ation of the recent heavy advances in all meats:
 The present high prices of meat have led to many inquiries concerning the pos sibility of securing cheaper food products which may be regarded as substitutes for the high-prlced meats. Vegetarianism is likely to become the fad if the present prices continue, not so much by reason or any superior merit of its principles as because economical considerations com pei it's adoption.
 There is no doubt of the fact that meat eating is not essential to human life, and that man can be nourished, and well nourished, without resorting to a flesh diet. The principal argument for the use of meat Is based upon taste since 1t Is admitted by all that the function of foods so far as the human animal Is concerned at least, extends considerably beyond the necessities of nutrition. Food Is a factor in social economy and an important one in domestic economy. Not only do we de- mand that our food be nutritious. but also that it be palatable. Just at the present time, however, the necessities of nutrition are preeminent, and questions are presented which demand careful sci- entific and technical study.
 Without going into the question of the cause of the high prices, it will be the purpose of this article to set forth some of the general principles upon which the nutrition of man depends and to sug- gest some of the ways in which a cheap CT substance than meat may be made to serve the double purpose of nutrition and palatability.
 think the statement may be accepted without question that, as rule, we eat too much, not only of meat, but of all forms of food. The, question of limiting diet, however, is one that deserves more than a passing notice. and Is based sri marily not on the principles of economy but on the requirements of hygiene. Both under nutrition and over-nutrition act unfavorably on the animal economy, causing, on the one hand, deposit of unnecessary fat and, on the other, inter ference with the vital processes, by req son of diminished or insufficient ma terials for renewing the waste of the body.
 Comparative anatomy has shown that man Is an omnivorous animal and, there fore. there can be no question of the right and propriety of flesh eating. In ad- dition to this, the taste of well-prepared meats Is most delightful, and man in his normal state has a craving for meat diet, or at least one in which meat fig ures to a considerable extent. This crav- ing may be satisfied, in some degree, | without indulging too freely in the expen- sive luxury of meat-eating at the pres ent prices
 Very few people realize what they buy when ordinary meats are purchased. In the first place. almost every piece of meat purchased in the market has a large quantity of refuse. viz, the bones, gris- tie. tendons and other parts unsuitable for the table. These of course, are put in at standard rates, and the result is | that the actual meat which is fit for con- l sumption, for which say 20 cents a pound is paid in the market, is worth 25 or 30 | cents pound before 1t is ready for cook | ing. A glance at the table expressing the | percentage of refuse in animal foods Is | most interesting. In the case of the trim mings of the loin as high as 57 per cent has been found to be refuse, and the per centage In any kind of meats rarely falls below 10. If we should place the average | percentage of refuse in beef of all kinds, as purchased in the market, at 25. it would probably be below rather than | above the true number
 Then, after the refuse Is cut away, the 1 purchaser buys an immense quantity of water. In some parts of beef-and beef may be taken as type of all meats in general - the percentage of water rises above 70. In a sample of meat which was prepared for canning purposes under the supervision of an agent of the bureau of chemistry in the Department of Agricul- ture, 1t was found that, after removing the bones and other refuse portions and passing 356 pounds of the meat thus pre- l pared through a sausage cutter, sample | of the average meat secured contained l T 1T per cent of water. The average per- centage of water In meats, of course. is not so high but after losing 25 per cent 1 of the meat In refuse, the purchaser can safely count upon having 50 per cent of | the rest of the meat consist of water. So, after all, in purchasing meats in general l in the open market only about 25 per cent of the total weight received can be re- earded as of nutritive value,
 Since the flavor and taste of the meat | are one of the desirable things, it is ev- l ident that a considerable saving can be
 secured in meat by utilizing the waste l portions for making soup. The bones es-
 pecially are available for this purpose | and, to secure the best results, should be | broken into small pieces before being
 treated for making stock for soup. Again, the flavor of the meat is imparted in a
 most agreeable way to stews and other | preparations of a similar nature where
 the principal ingredient is potato or some | other vegetable, and only sufficient meat | is present to give the desired taste and | flavor. Portions of meat also which are
 not edible in the'ordinary forms in which
 they exist can be made quite palatable
 by being worked into hash and other sim