cxxvi Department of Home Economics. 



who completed their college course in January. As opportunity is 

 ofifered for explaining this course to the girls in the other colleges, 

 it will grow greatly in numbers. At present, crowded conditions 

 make this inadvisable. 



II. INVESTIGATION. 



A dietary study was completed by a member of the instructing 

 staff to show the methods of prosecuting such a study, to consider 

 errors which might arise under average conditions of analysis, and 

 to determine the relation of the food-stuffs from day to day, in the 

 normal, unstudied dietary, and the variation which might occur both 

 in total amount of food and in the relative amounts of the food- 

 stuff's. Some experimental work was done by the students in the 

 cooking of vegetables by using (a) water from the tap; (b) boiled 

 water; (c) water to which had been added baking' soda. Tl is was 

 done to determine the effect of lime upon cellulose in the ordinary 

 cooking processes. 



Some experiments were made upon a large number of samples 

 of wash goods to determine the durability of color under the strain 

 of the household washing process and the usefulness of the house- 

 hold methods of setting colors. 



Much experimental work has been done in determiiung ihe use- 

 fulness of various household conveniences, as fireless cookers, bread 

 mixers, alcohol heaters, ironing machines, etc., in saving time and 

 material. 



RcscarcJi in Extension Department. — Observation^ lia\e been 

 made in farm families and from correspondence upon various sub- 

 jects. 



(i). There is an effort year after year to save none} to add 

 46 acres to the farm or to buy new farm machinery. Ii is only 

 recently that attention is being given to the proper equipment of 

 the kitchen as a part of the economic side of the farm. 



(2). Sanitation in rural life has been investigated. There is a 

 very great need of running water. Probably nothing else in the 

 farm management tends so much to the absence of comfort, health 

 and convenience. Insufficient water is used for dish washing, 

 personal cleanliness and laundry work. 



(3). The problems which the farmers' wives wish to have solved 

 have been collected and noted. They have a wide range. 



(4). The material has been collected to throw light upon rural 

 social problems, which is closely related to the question of con- 

 gestion in cities. 



