63 



larger than the ordinaiy pound loaf of homemade bread, but the}' 

 were excessively raised and dried quickh^, and altogether were far from 

 the ideal nutty, firm, nutritious loaf. 



In regard to green vegetables the conditions were more favorable. 

 The poorer streets of the city were usually well provided with these 

 in their season and at prices about as reasonal)le as in the large 

 markets. Many hucksters and farmers Ijrought their vegetables 

 directly to the streets in which these families lived and sold them 

 without the middleman's profit. 



To some extent the people in these regions were not responsible for 

 the costliness of their diet. In no case were there any conveniences for 

 the use of ice for keeping food, and in few if anj'^ cases was there suffi- 

 cient monej^ to enable them to buy in very larg-e quantities. But while 

 the costliness of the diet may be accounted for to some extent by lack 

 of space to keep quantities of provisions and lack of monev to bu}' 

 them, a consideral)le part of it was unnecessar}-, as was shown by a 

 comparison of the different diets as regards economy, and for people 

 in the circumstances of those of the families studied it was unwarrant- 

 able. A little more intelligence in the matter of marketing would 

 have enabled many of the families to provide practically the ver}' 

 same diet at a much smaller cost, or a better diet for the sum expended. 

 This fact has been well illustrated by a comparison of the diet obtained 

 by the woman in study No. 24a with that secured by other families for 

 the same money or more. This woman had found that in the small 

 store near her home food materials cost her very much more than in the 

 market a few blocks farther away. She could get good sugar at 4 

 cents at the market, or larger store, which would cost her 6 cents at 

 the small store. Meat for which she would have to pay 10 cents at 

 the small stoi'e she could get for 6 cents at the market. Accordingh' 

 she traded at the market as much as possible. 



A little knowledge of the comparative nutritive values of food 

 materials would have enabled a number of the families in these studies 

 to have saved a considerable part of the money spent for food by using 

 different kinds of food materials from those purchased. Some of the 

 famdies used the higher priced cuts of meat while others obtained 

 more nourishment for the same or less money spent for cheaper cuts. 

 Two of the families used cornmeal and two used rye bread during the 

 weeks when the studies were made. None of the rest used any other 

 meal or flour than the higher priced white flour, although the cheaper 

 grades of flour are b}'^ many regarded as equally nutritious and pala- 

 table. Dried beans occurred in nine of the dietaries and dried peas in 

 five, but only in small quantities and not as a staple article of food, not- 

 withstanding that these are among the cheapest and most nutritious of 

 foods commonly available. In the more general use of dried peas, 

 beans, cornmeal and the cheaper cuts of meat, these dietaries could 



