The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1918-06-24
WISE MOTHERS STUDY FOODS FOR
 BEST SELECTION

The family must be fed whatever foods cost and the wise mother will study how to get the greatest return on her investment by the careful se lection of foods. The cheapest foods are by no means necessarily the most economical. Half-decayed fruits and vegetables are sold very cheap from the wagons or markets, but may be very expensive to the family if illness results, and it is only too true that cheap milk may cost the life of a ba- by. It is plain that unless food is in good condition it is not cheap at any price. But even when the quality of food is above reproach, it must be se- lected wisely and adapted to the needs of the family. To do this it is a good plan to divide the money that may be spent for food in some way as the fol- lowing:
 (a) Spend from one-quarter to one-third of the total food money for bread, cereals, macaroni and rice"
 Bread and other cereal foods form the basis of the American family diet and should be freely used for chil- dren.
 (b) Buy at least from one-third to one-half quart of milk a day for each member of the family"
 This amount of milk for the fam fly will ordinarily permit each child to have one and one-half pints a day.
 (c) Spend as much for fruit and vegetables together as for milk"
 Children should begin to have a little vegetable food in the first year, and after the second year well-cooked vegetables should form a usual part of their diet.
 (d) Spend not more for meat and eggs together than for vegetables and fruit. The amount spent for meat may be decreased as the amount spent for milk increases"
 It has been found that many fam flies spend an entirely undue amount of their food allowance for meat which is the most expensive article of food on the market. Especially in summer the proportion of meat in the diet of young children may be re- duced by using milk, and milk pro- ducts, eggs and vegetables in it's place. Fish and chicken are excellent food for children.
 In order to keep track of these ex- penditures it is a good plan for the mother to keep an itemized account of her food costs for while. In the country and villages where the fam 1 fly raises a great deal of it's own food the problem of buying will not be so ! serious, but it is always necessary to see that the proper balance of the family meals is observed.
 Having purchased the food stuffs, still further economy can be effected by proper preparation and cooking. A freless coof1er will help greatly in the task of cooking in summer. Most ce- reals and many vegetables may be re- heated so that at least enough for two days may safely be cooked at one time. Milk may be used in many kinds of good summer foods, such as vegetable soup and custards or may be the basis of the children's suppers, either with bread or cereals. Direc- tions for the use of milk are given in forthcoming bulletin fo the Chil- dren's Bureau, U. s. Department of Labor, Washington, D. C., on the care of the child which will be sent to any one who cares to write to the Bureau for it.
 Food should be kept as cold as pos sible and carefully screened against flies, mice and other marauders When there is danger that foods will not keep until the meal for which they are needed, they should be cooked scalded or sterilized, and then cook ed as quickly as possible, even if they must again be warmed before being eaten.