872 REPORT OF OFFICE OF EXPERIMENT STATIONS. 



use is made in other countries of the results of the nutrition investi- 

 gations, and as an instance may be cited the translation into French 

 of a considerable proportion of the nutrition publications in connection 

 with the general movement for the dissemination of information 

 regarding food and nutrition in that countr^^ 



As a part of the nutrition enterprise special attention is being paid 

 to the collection of data of use to teachers and its arrangement in peda- 

 gogical form, the work being carried on along the lines which have 

 proved so successful in formulating courses in other branches of agri- 

 cultural education. 



CONCLUSION. 



Attention has been directed in the foregoing pages to the lines 

 which have been especially followed in carrying on the nutrition 

 investigations of the Office of Experiment Stations, and some of the 

 results of this important agricultural enterprise have been pointed out. 



As regards their origin, all foods, both animal and vegetable, are 

 agricultural products. In the past the farmer was verj' commonly 

 the distributor of his products, and the foods passed directly from the 

 farm to the consumer. At the present day this is much less common, 

 and most of the foodstuffs become articles of commerce before they 

 reach the housewife, and in many cases are manufactured products, 

 as they must pass through the mill, the dairy, the packing house, or 

 other manufacturing institution before they are ready for use. 



Briefly stated, the chief object of the nutrition investigations is to 

 secure the better utilization of these varied food products, and it 

 seems fair to say that much has already been accomplished along 

 this line. The housewife in the farm home or in the town has at her 

 disposal a large amount of data regarding the composition, digesti- 

 bility, and nutritive value of foods and their relative econom}' as 

 sources of nutrients and energy, which will aid her in making a good 

 use of her available food supply, and will help her to prepare for her 

 family a diet which is rational and suited to their physical needs. At 

 the same time, the investigations have demonstrated the importance 

 of having the daily fare palatable, well cooked, and attractive, and 

 have shown how such requirements may be met without undue cost. 

 The manufacturer and the distributer of food products are likewise 

 helped by the dissemination of knowledge concerning food materials 

 and their preparation, for such knowledge means a greater develop- 

 ment of the important commercial enterprises in which they are 

 interested. And finally, the farmer, the cattle raiser, the dairyman, 

 the market gardener, and all y,'h6 are direct producers of food supplies 

 are benefited, as a knowledge of the important facts regarding the 

 comparative value of diftVrent foods can not fail to bring about 

 improved standards of living, and hence a greater demand for the 

 foodstuffs which they alone can supply. 



