232 



SCIENCE 



[N. S. Vol. XLVII. No. 1210 



again the liigher extraction flours received the 

 approbation of 78.5 i>er cent. 



7. " From your experience, whicli is the best 

 flour, white, whole- wheat or graham ? " Only 

 8 per cent, were in favor of the white flour, 

 while 65 per cent, expressed a preference for 

 the other flours. 



Dr. Louis Lapicque, a nutrition chemist for 

 the French government, stated recently' that 

 his experiments led him to conclude that 85 

 per cent, extraction is necessary in France and 

 that "for every five parts which are added 

 when the yield is increased from 80 to 85, 

 four of these are available." 



When the layman is debating as to the best 

 policy to formulate in stocking the family 

 larder, he should keep in mind that the higher 

 extraction floiu-s are (1) not normally harm- 

 ful, (2) are digested almost as completely as the 

 lower extraction flours, (3) contain more val- 

 uable nutrient-s in the form of " vitamines " 

 or growth-promoting substances, and mineral 

 salts, (4) can be manufactured more cheaply 

 when the public demands more of the whole 

 wheat flour, (5) that the laxative action ia 

 beneficial, (6) and what is more important at 

 the present time, more grain will be released 

 for the allied armies, and (7) that these con- 

 clusions are supported by the majority of 

 nutrition authorities. 



If it is true that food will win the war, it 

 is certainly a patriotic duty to save and con- 

 serve our wheat. One method is to include 

 as a part of our daily diet food products 

 made from higher extraction flours. 



E. A. DUTCHER 



tTNmBEsiTT OF Minnesota 



SCIENTIFIC EVENTS 



THE OUTLOOK IN FRENCH AGRICULTURE 



The Bevue Scientifique for September 22 

 contains a report on the position and prospects 

 of French agriculture presented by M. Louis 

 Mangin, of the Academic des Sciences, to the 

 National Council of the Ligue Frangaise on 

 behalf of the Committee on Economic Organi- 

 zation of that body. According to an abstract 



s Comptes Bendus de I'Acadamie de Sciences, 

 Vol. 165, p. 143. 



in Nature wheat production has fallen to 

 barely 70 per cent, of the pre-war crop, pota- 

 toes to 80 per cent., wine to 65 per cent, and 

 sugar-beet to little more than 30 per cent. 

 The situation as regards live stock shows the 

 same disquieting features. Practically 20 per 

 cent, of the pre-war head of cattle fell into 

 the hands of the enemy, and ill-devised meas- 

 ures taken to secure the meat supply in the 

 early days of the war further seriously ac- 

 centuated the shrinkage. Although the cattle 

 position from the point of view of numbers 

 has since been substantially improved, the 

 proportion of young stock is so great that 

 substantial relief of the meat stringency can 

 not be expected from home resources for a 

 considerable time. The decline in numbers of 

 sheep which had set in long before the war 

 has been greatly accentuated. Pigs also show 

 a decline of 38 per cent, since the end of 1913. 

 No reference is made to the position as re- 

 gards milk production. A survey of the forest 

 area completes the tale of depleted resources, 

 something like one eighth of this area having 

 been already denuded, with but little provision 

 for its replacement. 



Many suggestions are put forward for the 

 relief of the present situation and for the 

 future restoration and strengthening of French 

 agriculture. The claims of rice as a diluent 

 of wheaten flour are strongly urged in view of 

 the large supplies available in the Asiatic 

 colonies. To overcome the diificulties of 

 shortage of manual labor on the land, the 

 organization of supplies of African and yellow 

 labor is suggested, whilst further relief could 

 be obtained by a more active policy with refer- 

 ence to the production and use of motor tract- 

 ors and farm machinery in general. The ex- 

 ample of England in placing this manufacture 

 under the same control as that of munitions 

 of war is warmly commended. Consolidation 

 of estates is urgently necessary and should be 

 accompanied by a revision of the register of 

 lands. The price of corn should be left suf- 

 ficiently free to rise to encourage production, 

 whilst at the same time the rise in the price 

 of bread should be restricted by all appropriate 

 means. It is suggested that these two ap- 



