STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 



457 



number of almond pastes and other almond preparations were made 

 into macaroons according to different recipes. 



The use of lime, alum, and salt water cures for hardening water- 

 melon rind when preserving was studied. Each product has a char- 

 acteristic texture and volume, but it was found that preliminary 

 hardening by any of these chemicals is unnecessary. 



The cooking of vegetables received some attention. The statement 

 that peas toughen if cooked in salted water was found to be without 

 foundation, when AA^ashington city water and a certain well-known 

 brand of salt were used. Protein losses were practically identical 

 in salted and unsalted water. Similar experiments are being made 

 on other vegetables, and the effect of cooking in various quantities 

 of Avater and of steaming are being studied. Green-leaf vegetables 

 are receiving particular attention, because of the important role 

 assigned to them by modern nutrition specialists. 



There has been a great demand for directions for using oven 

 thermometers as a guide in baking, and a large number of tests have 

 been made in different ovens to verify and extend the chart of oven 

 temperatures prepared by the office. 



Exhibits showing the baking qualities of flour from wheat grown 

 in Alaska, of corn flour and corn meal, and of adlay flour (made 

 from a variety of Job's tears) were prepared, and the baking quali- 

 ties of five varieties of Alaskan potatoes were tested. 



Tests were made of 24 flavored vinegars prepared by household 

 methods. The flavoring of vinegars involves little time, trouble, or 

 expense, and seems a desirable way of adding variety to the diet. 



The digestion experiments of the office have heretofore been con- 

 ducted with men as subjects, and question has been raised as to 

 whether the results are equally applicable to Avomen and children. 

 Earlier tests of the starches of corn, wheat, rice, and potato, con- 

 ducted with men as subjects, were therefore repeated with women. 

 As in the previous studies, the starch was served in a frozen pud- 

 ding with oranges and tea or coffee, if desired, three times a day for 

 three successivedays. Though the unusual diet had some psychologi- 

 cal effect, the women suffered no serious physiological disturbance, 

 and the analyses so far made indicate that they digested the starches 

 just as completely as did the men. In both cases, the coefficient of 

 digestibility was lowest for potato starch, though there was a rather 

 wide variation among the group. 



The respiration calorimeter studies on energy expenditure in house- 

 hold tasks, such as sewing by hand and by foot-operated and motor- 

 driven machines and dishwashing, were continued, and the installa- 

 tion of the special calorimeter for the study of fruits and vegetables 

 under widely differing conditions of temperature, humidity, and 

 gaseous surroundings was completed. A series of experiments con- 

 ducted in this calorimeter to determine its heat capacity, thermal 

 leakage, and accuracy for energy measurement show that it is sensi- 

 tive and accurate to a remarkable degree. A paper shoAving the 

 practical bearing of these studies on fruits and vegetables on cold 

 storage problems was presented at the annual meeting of the Ameri- 

 can Association of Ice and Refrigeration. 



Continuing the cooperation with the Bureau of Animal Industry, 

 attention was given to planning the equipment needed in the poultry 



