99(5 



EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



(pp. 97-105). This paper deals with the effect of different kinds of food, <lifferent 

 amounts, and different times of feeding upon the physical properties of silk. E. Verson 

 presents ;i brief account of the use of corrosive sublimate and fluorid of silver in 

 treating mulberry leaves for the prevention of infectious diseases of silkworms 

 (pp. 106-109). The results obtained were not very encouraging. The same author 

 discusses the external characters for judging the sex of silkworm larva- (pp. 125-130). 

 This subject is also considered by E. Quajat (pp. 110-124). An elaborate bibliography 

 of works relating to sericulture published in 1903-4 is appended to the report. 



FOODS NUTRITION. 



Experiments on the digestibility of cereal breakfast foods, YV.O. Atwatek, 

 H. C. Sherman, and R. D. Milner (Connecticut Storrs Sta. Rpt. 1904, pp. 180-209).— 

 Healthy young men were the subjects of experiments undertaken to study the 

 digestibility of a number of commercial brands of cereal breakfast foods, which it is 

 claimed are made largely from wheat. The diet consisted of the cereal breakfast 

 food, milk, cream, and sugar, the digestibility of the cereal food alone being calcu- 

 lated from that of the entire ration in the usual way by the use of factors. The fol- 

 lowing table shows the average results obtained: 



( 'oefficients of digestibility of nutrients and availability of energy of cereal breakfast foods. 



Cereal food. 



Grape-Nuts, average of 3 experiments 

 Malta Vita, average of 4 experiments 

 Force, average of '1 experiments 



/'. i C( nl 

 70. 1 

 7-2.1 

 69. 8 



Carbohy- 

 drates. 



I'i /' C( ill . 



91.5 



90.0 



88.5 



Energy. 



P< r '< at. 

 86. 3 

 83. t 

 78.7 



In discussing the experiments the results are compared with average values for 

 the digestibility of wheat bread of different sorts. The conclusions reached were in 

 effect as follows: 



In these experiments the digestibility of the different brands of breakfast foods, 

 all said to consist hugely of wheat, was found to be smaller, especially in the case of 

 the protein, than that of the nutrients of wheat Hour. Two of the three different 

 brands used in the experiments, though made at different factories, were quite simi- 

 lar in character, but the third was somewhat different from either The uniformity 

 of the results is therefore the more interesting. 



The total number of experiments, and the number of different brands included, is 

 too small to warrant final conclusions from the results with respect to the digestibility 

 of wheat breakfast foods in general, it is interesting to note, however, that the 

 results here reported are in very close accord with those of other experiments with 

 the same and different kinds of wheat breakfast foods made elsewhere but still await- 

 ing publication. 



The nutritive value of prepared cereal products, R. D. Milner ( Connecticut 

 Storrs Sin. Rpt. 1904, /»/>■ 210-240). — A popular summary of information regarding the 

 origin and preparation of cereal breakfast foods, their nutritive value, composition, 

 digestibility, methods of cooking, relative cost, and possibilities of adulteration and 

 sophistication. Some of the general deductions follow: 



"In general the prepared cereal products are all wholesome and nutritious, and 

 when reasonable in price are economical sources of nutrients and energy, especially 

 when compared with meats or green vegetables. The different preparations from 

 the same grain resemble each other quite closely in actual nutritive value. A curi- 

 ous name or appearance or process of preparation does not indicate any extraordinary 

 food value, and the intelligent buyer may make his choice largely in accordance with 



