DEVELOPMENT OF NUTRITION INVESTIGATIONS. 459 



nutrition investigations which has had wide distribution is entitled 

 " The Functions and Uses of Food," and contains some of the general 

 principles of nutrition brieflv stated and concise directions for mak- 

 ing dietary studies and digestion experiments. 



The technical articles abstracted in the Plxperiment Station Record 

 are grouped under a dozen or so general subdivisions. Abstracts of 

 nutrition literature appear in the section on Food and Human Nutri- 

 tion, though other sections, such as Agricultural Chemistry, 'Animal 

 Production, Dairy Farming, and Agricultural Education, contain not 

 infrequently material also of interest in this connection. 



That the field covered by the P^xperiment Station Record is a wide 

 one is shown by the fact that a total of 7,048 abstracts was included 

 in the two volumes for the fiscal year 1009-10. Of these, nutrition 

 abstracts constituted G42. The total number of pages in these two 

 volumes was 1,413. Of these, nutrition matters constituted 123 

 pages. 



RESULTS OF THE NUTRITION WORK, AND CONCLUSION. 



Attention has been directed in the foregoing pages to the origin 

 and scope of the nutrition investigations of the Office of Experiment 

 Stations, and some of the problems which have been especially 

 studied in carrying out the work have been pointed out, together 

 with the methods of making available to the people the results 

 obtained. 



As regards their origin, all foods, both animal and vegetable, are 

 agricultural products. In the past the farmer was very commonly 

 the distributor of his products and the foods passed directly from 

 the farm to the consumer. At the present day this is much less com- 

 mon, and most of the foodstuffs become articles of commerce before 

 they reach the housewife, and in many cases are manufactured prod- 

 ucts, as they must pass through the mill, the dairy, the packing house, 

 or other manufacturing institution before they are ready for use. 



Briefly stated, the chief object of the nutrition investigations is 

 to secure the better utilization of these varied food products, and it 

 seems fair to say that much has already been accomplished along this 

 line. The housewife in the farm home or in the town has at her 

 disposal a large amount of data regarding the composition, digesti- 

 bility, and nutritive value of foods and their relative economy as 

 sources of nutrients and energy, which will help her to prepare for 

 her family a diet which is rational and suited to their physical needs. 

 At the same time the investigations have demonstrated the impor- 

 tance of having the daily fare palatable, well cooked, and attractive, 

 and have shown how such requirements may be met without undue 

 cost. The manufacturer and the distributor of food products are 



