45 



Cheddar cheese, 

 Skim-milk cheese, 

 Pure milk, 



When looking for a standard of a most congenial and nutritious 

 diet we quite naturally incHned to pronounce in favor of good milk. 

 For we find in it, first, a large proportion and full representation of 

 the most essential mineral constituents needed for our system, 

 Avhich cheese contains but in part ; and secondly, wc recognize in it 

 nitrogenous (casein) and non-nitrogenous (butter and sugar of 

 milk) substances in such condition and proportions as produce daily 

 under varied circumstances, the most satisfactory results. 



Since we know that milk contains one part of nitrogenous sub- 

 stances to evevy two and one-half to three parts of respiratory con- 

 stituents, we may obtain from the study of the composition of milk 

 some useful hints in regard to the question, what is essential for a 

 healthy diet, and what substances we ought to consume with cheese, 

 Avhen we aim at the desirable solution of the problem, under what 

 circumstances we may be enabled to turn this, our most nitrogen- 

 ous article of food to the best advantage. In the scale of highly 

 nitrogenous substances used by man as food, next to cheese, stand 

 our leguminous seeds as peas, which contain 23.4 per cent., beans, 

 23.3 per cent., lentils, 24.0 per cent. 



It is impossible to give even an approximate idea concerning the 

 relative value of both cheese and leguminous seeds. The latter 

 have confirmed their great value by their successful introduction in 

 the diet of the German army during the late war with France. To 

 get some definite idea to what extent cheese may be advantageously 

 applied, as a part even of a general diet, as beans and peas have 

 been used, requires careful, well designed, comparative investiga- 

 tion ; and nobody can doubt that the interest of both producer and 

 consumer would be promoted by it. 



C. A. GcEssMANN, Cliainnan. 

 Mass. Agricultural College, Amherst, Dec. 18, 1871. 



