• 59 



is quite generallj^ believed that the values per man per day as obtained 

 in dietary studies with large grouiDS more nearly represent the require- 

 ments of the average individual in the same circumstances than do 

 the results obtained with a single individual considered a fair repre- 

 sentative of the group, tliough there are tliose who believe that the 

 experimental conditions may be more carefully controlled and that 

 thus greater accuracy is possible when the experiment is limited to a 

 single individual. In this instance, however, both dietary studies and 

 digestion experiments were carefully made, and the results in both 

 cases are believed to be reliable. It is believed also that all the men 

 consumed as much food as they needed. In such a case the inference 

 would be that as regards amounts eaten the men selected were not as 

 typical as was anticipated of tlie whole group, since the majority con- 

 sumed larger quantities of fats and carbohydrates than they did. The 

 results afford an excellent illustration of the dififlculty in estimating 

 food consumption without actual weighing. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



These dietaries of Maine lumbermen are, as regards protein and 

 energy, the highest yet recorded for any class of American laboring- 

 men, witli the excei^tion of a very small number reported for team- 

 sters and brickmakers at severe labor. The large amounts of food 

 eaten must be attributed in great part to the severe labor in the open 

 air and the cold to which the men were exposed. 



Whenever the labor was less continuous, as in the case of the team- 

 sters when engaged in hauling for long distances, the amount eaten 

 became noticeably less. Although the work of river driving is severe, 

 calling for long days and often obliging the men to work while wet 

 with icy water, yet it was found that under these conditions they ate 

 less than when cutting in the woods. This was probably due in part 

 to a less varied diet and in part to the unfavorable conditions under 

 which the food was eaten. In the case of the men engaged in chop- 

 ping and yarding the amount of protein consumed was considerably 

 in excess of that called for by the commonly accepted dietary stand- 

 ard. The energy furnished by the same dietaries was also far in 

 excess of the amounts called for by the standard for very hard mus(;u- 

 lar work. Since these conditions were not accompanied by any 

 increase in the weight of the subjects, it is not probable that the diet 

 was greatly in excess of their needs. 



The cost of food per person per day during these experiments ranged 

 from 15.1 to 28.6 cents and averaged L'3.5 cents. On an average about 

 two-thirds of the total expenditure was for animal food and about 

 one-third for vegetable food. 



In the digestion experiments the results obtained with tlie different 

 subjects were on the whole very uniform, the protein and other 



