33 • 



amounts called for by the standard for very hard muscular work. 

 When engaged in driving logs on the river the amount of energy 

 observed (5,035 calories) was less than that demanded by this stand- 

 ard, namely, 5,500 calories. In the average of all five studies the 

 amount of energy per man per day was almost 1,500 calories above 

 the standard mentioned. 



It seems fair to say, therefore, that judged by the best available 

 data tlie diet of the Maine lumbermen appeared to be sufficient as 

 regards both protein and energy. That it was not excessive, how- 

 ever, was indicated by the fact that the men did not gain markedly 

 in weight, and certainly if it may be assumed that the appetite is a 

 guide to the amount of food required the men did not eat more than 

 they needed. The exposure to wet and cold may have been one of 

 the causes for the consumption of large amounts of food. The idea 

 is often advanced that men are more resistant to disease when they 

 live at a high protein level. If this view is correct the large amount 

 of protein observed was perhaps an advantage, and it is at least pos- 

 sible that the dietary which is typical of Maine lumber camps in gen- 

 eral has been adopted because experience has shown that it is suited 

 to the conditions under which the men live and work. The general 

 health of the men in the studies recorded remained good, notwith- 

 standing the severe work and exposure. Of course the vigorous out- 

 of-door life in the pure air of the Maine woods was a factor favorable 

 to health. 



The only other studies of lumbermen's dietaries so far as the writ- 

 ers know are those made in the Bavarian Mountain regions by Liebig 

 and by Iloefier. The dietary of the peasant in the region where these 

 studies and dietaries, which are summarized in Table 12, were made 

 is discussed by Ranke* in effect as follows: 



In contrast to the conditions prevalent elsewhere in Germany, the 

 food of the country people in the Bavarian highlands and mountains 

 is very simple, and although potatoes have not become the principal 

 food material there the food is chiefly vegetable. The famous peas- 

 ant of the Bavarian Mountain region, the genuine " Ilaberfeldtreiber," 

 as he proudly calls himself, eats meat, in accordance with the time- 

 honored usage, only on the four great holidays of the year. He lives 

 upon " Schmalzkost," that is to say, simple preparations of flour, with 

 which large quantities of fat are incorporated. To these he adds such 

 materials as sauerkraut and dried apples or peas. The food of these 

 powerful peasants is so generous in amount as to explain their hercu- 

 lean development of muscle, their enviable vigor, and their conscious- 

 ness of strength, which often leads to excess. It is likewise a current 

 observation by people in the Tegernsee Mountains that the larger 

 their appetites the more work the lumbermen can do. 



« Quoted in U. S. Dept. Agr., Office of Experiment Stations Bui, 21, p. 190. 

 5162— No. 149—04 3 



