664 Reading-Course for Farmers' Wives. 



7. Not only the purity but the quality of the food must be consid- 

 ered. Sometimes we unwisely pay simply for appearance. The ideal 

 bread flour is yellowish with a slightly granular texture and a tendency 

 to cling together so that it shows the impress of the hand when pressed 

 in it, but some of the darker colored flours may be as nutritious though 

 not as attractive, and the very white flour, though excellent in appearance, 

 may have less food value and make poorer bread. Prunes furnish a 

 good example of money paid for appearance. One may often see them 

 in the same store varying from five to eighteen cents a pound. The dif- 

 ference in price is largely though not wholly one of size. A cheap rice 

 again usually has not so large grains as the best, and sometimes these are 

 broken, but for many purposes the cheaper is as good. 



At other times the money invested in a first-class article is good 

 economy. A flour that yields poor bread is not economical at any price. 

 A cheap canned fruit that must be recooked with the addition of sugar 

 may prove more expensive than the higher priced article. Experience 

 alone can be the guide in such cases. 



The selection of food, then, is by no means a simple matter. It 

 demands the best intelligence of the housekeeper. While from one point 

 of view — that of catering to taste alone — it may easily become too im- 

 portant, from another — that of increasing the health and efficiency of 

 the family — its importance can scarcely, be overestimated. 



ANOTHER VIEW OF SELECTION OF FOODS. 



Gertrude Sober Church. 



Mrs. Richards begins her book on " Food Materials and their Adul- 

 terations " with this sentence : " The prosperity of a nation depends upon 

 the health and morals of its citizens ; and the health and the morals of a 

 people depend mainly upon the food they eat and the homes they live 

 in." Then although, at present, at least, women cannot cast the ballot, 

 they are the moulders of the nation ; on them rests the responsibility of 

 furnishing this good food and true homes for its people. 



For several years Professor Mumford and his associates at the Illi- 

 nois Agricultural Experiment Station have been conducting a series of 

 experiments to ascertain the best ration for feeding cattle during the 

 period they are being fattened for market. They are studying the ration 

 from an economic standpoint. They can weigh the steer at the beginning 

 of the term, and at the end, figure what was paid for his feed, how much 

 he brought in market, and then compare the cost of this steer with others 

 fed on different rations for the same period. Similar experiments are 



