of an ounce the nearest 1⁄2 ounce or 4 ounce or some similar common fraction is used instead of more accurate equivalents.

In such a table the protein content of the food gives an idea of its relative value for building body tissue. The value of the food as a source of power for carrying on work is expresed by the energy it supplies when utilized in the body as fuel is burned under a boiler, and is measured as calories. A calorie is equal very nearly to 1.54 foot-ton, that is, it represents force which would be sufficient to lift one ton 1.54 feet and is a more convenient unit for such purposes than horsepower or other similar unit.

APPROXIMATE WEIGHT AND NUTRITIVE VALUE OF AN AVERAGE PORTION OF SOME COMMON FOODS.

The table may be conveniently used by supposing that the food eaten by one member of the family will represent in character and amount the food for the entire family. To estimate by means of the table the food value of the diet the portions of each article used at each meal should be set down in order, together with the protein and energy which each supplies and the total sum of the protein and of the energy will represent the amount eaten in the whole day.

Suppose, for instance, that breakfast for the man of the family, a mechanic whose work calls for a medium expenditure of physical strength, consists of two slices of bread, one portion of butter, a potato, two cups of coffee and two eggs. Each slice of bread, as the table shows, supplies 4 grams protein and 175 calories. Two slices would therefore supply 8 grams protein and 350 calories. A portion of butter supplies 95 calories of energy. Butter, as will be noted, contains no protein. One potato would supply 4 grams of protein and 145 calories; two eggs 14 grams protein and 192 calories. Tea and coffee in themselves supply so little nutritive material that they may be neglected. The sugar and cream, however, which would be used should be taken into account. If in each cup of coffee a teaspoonful of sugar is used the amount for two cups would of course be two teaspoonfuls and the energy value 80 calories. As the table shows, sugar contains no protein. When 14 gill of cream is used for each cup of coffee 1⁄2 gill will be used for two cups and according to the figures in the table would supply 2 grams protein and 130 calories. If these foods eaten at breakfast and the protein and energy which they supply are set down in order and the quantities added together, the total shows the amount eaten for breakfast as follows:

FOOD VALUE OF BREAKFAST.

In the day's ration which has been selected we will suppose that the man carries his lunch and that it consists of two sandwiches (made from four slices of bread, one portion of butter and two portions of cheese), a slice of cake and a banana, and that for dinner he has one

portion of beefsteak, one potato, one serving of turnips, an ear of corn, one slice of bread, one portion of butter, a dish of rice pudding and one cup of tea with sugar and milk. Following the same method as was used in computing the value of breakfast, the lunch would supply the following:

The protein and energy value of dinner computed in the same way would be as follows:

The total protein and energy of the food eaten by the man during the day would of course be the sums of the amounts for breakfast, lunch and dinner, as follows:

As will be seen from the figures given above the total protein for the day's ration is 102 grams or 32/3 ounces, and the total energy value 3,593 calories, values which correspond very closely with those called for by the suggested dietary standard. If a little more or a little less. food were eaten these figures would vary somewhat though the agreement might still be reasonably close. Suppose, for instance, that another portion of cheese had been used in making the sandwiches. This would have added 5 grams of protein and 94 calories, making the total amount. 107 grams protein and 3,687 calories. Such variations are of course. what might be expected and are of no particular moment. It is by no means necessary that the food each day should agree exactly with the suggested dietary standard, for any deficiency in protein or energy one day will very probably be offset by an excess on some other day. It is believed, however, that the daily food will be most satisfactory when the average for long periods agrees with the suggested values. The calculated values obtained by the methods outlined above are designed simply to show in a general way whether the food corresponds to the dietary standard and to afford the housewife some knowledge as to whether the meals which she provides are sufficient as to the kind and amount of nutritive material which they furnish.

In the table on page 35 only the more common foods and staple dishes have been included. It will very often happen that other foods and dishes will be served. When this is done and it is desired to calculate the relative value of the ration no great error will ordinarily be involved if the values of the food most like the article in question are used. For instance, griddle-cakes or waffles, which are often served at breakfast, are not given in the table. A griddle-cake or a waffle so closely resembles a slice of bread in food value that the protein and energy for a slice of bread may be used to represent the food value of each griddlecake or waffle served. In the same way an ordinary portion of boiled lamb may be assumed to have the same food value as a slice of roast beef and a portion of pork sausage the same food value as a Frankfurt sausage. If a housekeeper desires to study the subject in greater detail she will find an abundance of data regarding the composition of foods, etc., in bulletins of the U. S. Department of Agriculture and elsewhere.

In the calculations which have been described nothing has been said. of the fact that women and children usually eat smaller amounts than men. Taking such factors into account would complicate the calculations, and it is therefore easiest to take into account simply the amounts which the man of the family eats and to assume that as the same sort of food is provided for the family each member will receive the proper

amount, and that if a diet for the man corresponds reasonably to the dietary standard the same may be supposed to be the case with that for the other members of the family. Young children, of course, would have milk or special foods and so would be considered separately.

The ways in which meat, fish, vegetables, and other common foods can be prepared for the table are endless, ranging all the way from the simple boiled potato or fried egg to the most elaborate dish of the highly trained cook. The ideal for family living is enough variety in food and method of preparation to make the daily fare attractive without. excessive cost or undue labor and it is possible to attain this ideal. It is just as possible to make a dinner pleasing and satisfactory in every way from simple materials simply cooked as it is to make appropriate and attractive clothing for a child or grown person from inexpensive yet suitable and well-chosen materials. It is the way in which it is done as much as the materials used. Anyone who works in a mill or factory with a complicated machine knows that many things must be learned before the machine can be intelligently managed and that much practice is required before he can become a skilled operator. The same is true of selection and preparation of food and other household tasks, but it is equally true that the skill and ability which comes from good training is just as valuable in the home as it is in the factory or workshop, and that the well-trained worker can accomplish better results with less trouble in a given time than the unskilled or poorly-trained worker.

If we look over the long list of foods which we use and the dishes we make from them, it becomes evident that they are of two general sorts-those which, like bread, rice, potatoes, and many other foods, have little distinctive taste, and those like cabbage, onions, cheese, sweet foods, and many other dishes, which possess a pronounced and characteristic flavor. It also becomes evident, when the subject is studied, that the foods which are used in greatest quantity belong to the former class.

A little butter and jam make a slice of bread something which a child will eat with relish. It is equally true that it is the foods and dishes of distinctive flavor which very largely at least make the daily fare appetizing and satisfactory and which insure the consumption of enough of the staple foods, many of them lacking in flavor, to make the diet well balanced and adequate. This distinctive flavor or palatability which is so desirable may, in general, be attained in two ways—namely, by the use of foods which are in themselves of distinctive flavor and by appetizing methods of cookery with proper seasoning.

The art of housekeeping in its highest form consists in planning the meals so that the two classes of foods are well balanced and the cost kept within bounds, as related to the income, with the labor involved not excessive.