164 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD, 



reported in this bulletin. The legumes constituted a large part of the simple 

 mixed diet. The following tal)le summarizes the results obtained: 



Hummanj of resuUfi of ilk/estion c.rpcrimnifs icith different lefjumes. 



Character of diet. 



Basal ration alone 



Basal ration and kidney beans 



Basal ration and white bea.ns 



Basal ration and cowpeas, whippoorwlll 



Basal ration and cowpeas, clay 



Basal ration and cowpeas, lady 



Digestibility of total diet. 



Protein. 



Per cent. 

 91 



78 

 81 

 77 

 81 

 87 



Per cent. 

 95 

 89 

 88 

 91 

 93 

 91 



Carbohy- 

 drates." 



Per cent. 

 98 

 95 

 95 

 92 

 94 

 97 



Digestibility of 

 legumes alone. 



Protein. 



Carbohy- 

 drates. 



" In view of their richness in nutrient constituents, and the extent to which 

 these are digested and absorbed by the body, the legumes deserve a high rank 

 as important food materials. The present bulletin but demonstrates scientific- 

 ally what has perhaps been long believed instinctively with regard to the value 

 of white and kidney beans, but it also shows that whatever may be claimed for 

 them may l)e claimed with at least ecjual fairness for the cowpea also. 



" The cowpea has a distinctive and pleasing flavor and can be prepared for the 

 table in a great many api)etizing ways and compares favorably with other 

 legumes in respect to both nutritive value and digestibility. Its wholesomeness 

 and possible place in the diet is attested by its long and general use in the 

 Southern States. I'nder usual crop conditions it is i-easonable in price and it 

 could undoubtedly be grown in quantities sufficient to meet any demand. The 

 importance of beans, peas, peanuts, lentils, cowpeas, and indeed of legumes as 

 a class is each year becoming more generally recognized as a source of protein 

 in the diet, reasonable in cost as compared with common proteid foods of ani- 

 mal origin, and the use of legumes is increasing." 



Potatoes and other root crops nsed as food, C F. Langworthy (U. S. Dcpt. 

 Agr.. Fanners' Bid. 2!>5, pp. J/o, fl(js. 4). — Potatoes, sweet potatoes, Jerusalem 

 artichokes, tropical starch-bearing roots, such as cassava and yams, succulent 

 roots, tubers, and bulbs, roots used as condiments, and similar food materials 

 are included in this summary of data on the composition, digestibility, and 

 nutritive value of root corps used as food. 



Though not very nutritious in proportion to their bulk, root crops as a class, 

 it is pointed out, offer some advantages over most other vegetable foods. They 

 are so easily grown and are so productive that under ordinary conditions they 

 sell at prices within the reach of all. Many of them may be kept over winter 

 in such .good condition that they are never out of season. The carbohydrates, 

 the principal nutritive materials present, are in forms which are readily and 

 well assimilated. The characteristic flavor which some of these vegetables 

 possess is a decided advantage, as it makes the vegetables palatable and adds to 

 the variety of the diet. Succulent vegetables of all sorts contribute bulk to 

 the diet and so are valuable from the standpoint of hygiene, as within limits 

 bulkiness is a favorable condition for normal digestion and also of importance 

 in overcoming a tendency to constipation. In addition, the mineral salts which 

 these vegetables contain serve an important purpose in helping to maintain the 

 alkalinity of the blood and have other physiological uses. 



Concerning the solanin content of potatoes and the effect of methods of 

 cultivation on the formation of solanin in the potato plant, F. von Mokqen- 



