STATES RELATIONS SERVICE. 561 



f erent regions ; dietary studies among rural and urban people ; diges- 

 tion and metabolism experiments ; experiments on the nutritive value 

 and cost of diff rent rations; the effect of cooking on composition, 

 digestibility, and nutritive value of foods; the compilation on a 

 broad scale of analyses and experiments in this country and abroad ; 

 and the improvement of methods and apparatus fgr nutrition work. 



One very important enterprise in which the department aided was 

 the completion and use of the respiration calorimeter devised by 

 Professors Atwater and Rosa. The nutrition investigations con- 

 tinued to grow in inter st and value as part of the work of the 

 Office of Experiment Stations for over 20 years. A large number 

 of technical publications were issued, together with numerous farm- 

 ers' bulletins, some of which had very wide circulation. Special 

 efforts were made to bring the results of this work to the attention 

 of colleges and schools. Much use was made of the department pub- 

 lications on this subject in educational and other institutions. The 

 information they contained was also widely incorporated in text- 

 books and manuals published in this and other countries. 



In 1907 the laboratory equipment at Middletown was removed to 

 Washington and installed in a Government building, and the nutri- 

 tion investigations were continued here under the direction of Dr. 

 C. F. Langworthy. 



OFFICE OF HOME ECONOMICS. 



In 1915, when the States Relations Service was organized, the 

 nutrition inv stigations were expanded to form the Office of Home 

 Economics as a part of that service. Doctor Langworthy was ap- 

 pointed chief, and a larger staff', increased appropriations, and 

 additional laboratory and office space hav^ followed, which have 

 made possible a broader program and a greater output. The work, 

 as defined in appropriation acts, has covered investigations of the 

 relative utility and economy of agricultural products when used for 

 food, clothing, or other purposes in the home. Some studios on 

 household equipment and management have also been made. Ex- 

 perimental studies of practical and technical problems have been 

 made by appropriate laboratory methods, some of them especially 

 adapted or devised for particular work. There have also been thc> 

 collection and interpretation of statistical data regarding food con- 

 sumption of individuals and families and studies of household labor 

 and of household management. The respiration calorimeter as an 

 instrument of precision has been shown to be well adapted to the 

 study of a wide range of agricultural problems, in addition to those 

 specially concern d with the home. 



The dietary-survey methods with individuals and families have 

 been developed into a nation-wide dietary survey, a result of war- 

 time need for definite information of this character. The machinery 

 for carrying on such surveys has been perfected and includes co- 

 operative features within the department and with agricultural col- 

 leges which increase its usefulness out of proportion to the cost in- 

 volved. Such surveys furnish per capita consumption data hitherto 

 lacking and otlier information essential to agricultural production 

 intelligently adjusted to the people's needs. Such surveys can and 

 should be extended to include clothing, equipment, etc., as well as 



