24 MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 310 



A slightly greater response to the feeding was observed in those receiving a 

 mixture of evaporated milk and tomato juice than in those receiving the milk 

 alone, but whether the difference is enough to be significant may be questioned. 

 Too great credence should not be placed on the apparent relatively greater im- 

 provement shown by the group receiving pasteurized milk, as these figures are 

 based on the preliminary observations and on a relatively small group of children. 



Comparison of Changes Occurring in Fall and in Winter 



A comparison of the improvement made by the children during the fall with 

 that made during the winter and spring raised the question of possible factors 

 other than the school feeding which may have influenced the condition of the 

 children. It appears that the majority made their gains from September to 

 January and did well to maintain these gains from January to June; while the 

 controls showed no gains in the fall and a larger proportion lost than gained 

 in condition after January. The cause of this difference in response of the 

 children during the fall and the winter, which is constantly in the picture through- 

 out the study, cannot be stated definitely. Probably there was no one cause. 



It is conceivable, of course, that in some instances the lunch affected the child's 

 appetite for his noon meal with the result that his total daily food intake was 

 less than when no lunch was given. Under such circumstances the child's 

 condition would have been poorer in June as a result of the feeding itself. The 

 epidemics of colds and acute infections which regularly attack communities 

 during the winter months; smaller quantities of fresh fruits and vegetables in 

 the home diets at this season of the year, and in some instances diets limited 

 because of meager funds at the end of the year; and the lack of summer sunshine 

 are also possible contributing factors. It is also altogether probable that in 

 numbers of cases there were beneficial factors in the child's environment of which 

 we were not cognizant, and that he would have improved during the period of 

 observation without the mid-morning lunch as well as with it. All these factors, 

 both favorable and adverse, which were inherent in the child's environment 

 influenced both the control and experimental children. It would seem for this 

 reason that any differences found consistently in the reaction of the two groups 

 might be attributed, largely at least, to the lunch. 



Conclusion 



Therefore, the conclusion seems justified that all of the supplementary feedings 

 produced some, though not marked, favorable effects on the general nutritional 

 status of a majority of the children; that milk, either pasteurized or evaporated, 

 was more effective than tomato juice; and that the mixture of evaporated milk 

 and tomato juice apparently gave somewhat better results than either alone. 



This conclusion was based on a consideration of the ratings of the general 

 condition of the children which were obtained through an evaluation of all in- 

 formation gathered concerning each child. It is inevitable that in such a general 

 picture some most interesting and illuminating details are lost sight of. An 

 analysis of the data as given by the medical examinations, records of growth in 

 height and weight, absences, illnesses, achievement tests, and dental e.xaminations 

 not only confirms the conclusions drawn from the general nutritional condition 

 of the children but brings out further observations of interest and therefore seems 

 pertinent. A discussion of the findings from each of these phases of the study 

 is given in the pages to follow. 



