The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-02-09
Ten Barrels of Flour a Week
Conserved by Following
Hoover Advice
INMATES SAY THEY
PREFER SUBSTITUTES
Food Believed by Doctors to Be Actual
ly More Healthful Than Formerly
complished.

ST. ALBANS, Feb. 9.-Just what can
be done in the way Of conserving wheat
in an institution by following closely
the rules and suggestions Of the nation
al food administration is shown in a
striking way by the results which have
been obtained at the Vermont state
hospital for the insane at Waterbury.
At the request Of the federal food ad
ministration for Vermont, DR.. Watson
$. WATSON, the superintendent, has fur
nished figures which show that the pres
cnt consumption of flour IS less than
half what ii was before the country
was called upon to resort to consarva-
ton efforts Moreover, Dr. Watson as
serts that the change has been benefit
cial from the health standpoint.
Ioctor WATSON submitted to the
state food administration three sheets
showing the meals served during a
week; one before any conservation was
called for; one after the first call, anl
one after the most recent call for as
great a saving as possible The menu
| .Aows the gradual elimination of wheat
bread and the coming in Of substitutes
William \. Woods, chef at the IN
stitution, has joined Fundamentally in
the work and his arrangement Of the
diet schedules has been a most imp0r-
tant factor III making the saving pcs
/ eibie. Before any conservation was at
4 tempted wheat bread made its frequent
| appearance in the diet The next st age
| provided four wheatless days, or their
| equivalent, and two meatless days. Tue
! third stage, now existing. shows 10
! wheatlesl meals a week and II meat
/ les. meals
! The actual saving in an institution
! the size of the state hospital is i'm
/ presslve. During the week Of MAY p.
! 1917, before the request to conserve
i had gone out, 3 $40 pounds of flour were
consumed. For the week ending Jan
! ~, this figure had been lowered to
1 2,632 pounds, a reduction of practical
| ~ 200 pounds, while the consumption
| for the week ending February 3, was
! lisa pounds, which is ! $50 pounds less
than the normal peace time require
ments Stated another way the saving
| represents practically 70 barrels of fioul
/ 9 week.
Doctor Wasson was asked by Acting
Food Administrator Cushing for in.
formation on just how the new diet
was working out in the institution and
| his rel ~ was as follows:
'One of the happy results Of TN,
substitution OF other cereals for houl
is that practically all are united in
stating that they like the substitute
and find them even more paIatable
than white bread We, of course, find
individuals here as everywhere, who are
suspicious of change and bound Ia
grumblc more or less, but they are 81
few in number as to be negligible
Provided we shall be able to Get suffi
clent supplies of substitutes, we shall
have no difficulty whatever in effect
J ing the maximum saving called FOL
without sacrificing the palatabilitv ot
, the food. or without lowering its nutri
tive properties. Indeed in 4 therapeutic
sense, the food now furnished is more
healthful than under the old regime
, On the whole, with the world lust now
| it is not 50 much matter Of pleasius
the sense of taste as it is problem oil
, furnishing healthfui foods to satisf,
the sense of hunger.
, In replying to Doctor WATSON, Nh
: Gushing wrote in part
Z wish to thank you sincerely 70
I furnishing the Information regardin,
flour conservation in the state hospi
| tai 1t is record over which YOU anC
Mr.. Woods certainly would be iustifie,
2 IN taking pride, and the example of
Q state institution entering in such Al
. effective manner into the conservation
movement cannot help but be benef
: cial 1t shows in striking way wha
I can be accomplished BY a systemati
effort, and of especial interest do