30 



111 planning- this dietary the estimates were made for a famil}^ of 

 six and were multiplied to suit the. existing case. The tinal results 

 given in the table above agreed ver}'^ well with the estimates. The 

 meals provided were quite satisfactor3^ Only two of the persons 

 found any of them wholly unsatisfactory, and all declared that they 

 "bought no more candy than usual;" that is, they did not have any 

 special desire to supplement their diet with extra sweets. This was 

 very gratifying in view of the difference in favor of the cost of this 

 diet as compared with that of their usual fare. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



Judging by this study it seems fair to say that a reasonably satisfac- 

 tory dietary of moderate cost, which will supply the necessary nutri- 

 ents and energy, can be provided when sufficient care is given to 

 planning a menu and selecting the food. It is a matter of common 

 experience that it is easier to provide a diet for a given sum when the 

 family is rather large, since it is possi})le to buy advantageously when 

 large quantities are purchased and the amount of refuse and kitchen 

 and table waste is believed to be proportionally smaller. Further 

 studies are, of course, needed before general deductions can be drawn, 

 but in view of the facts brought out by the present study in connec- 

 tion with the results of general experience and previous investigations 

 it seems fair to say that the cost of the daily fare may be often dimin- 

 ished by intelligent planning of the menu in such a way that a reason- 

 able proportion of moderate-priced foods is used and other justifiable 

 economies are practiced without making the diet so plain that it is 

 unattractive. 



The latter fact has been illustrated on a preceding page of this 

 Inilletin (see page 24) in a comparison of the ordinary diet of the 

 school with a diet quite as satisfactory and potentially equal in nutri- 

 tive value, but costing over 20 per cent less. The present dietary was 

 almost identical in cost and nutritive value w4th the more economical 

 of the two just referred to. 



