I30 MAINE AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. 



due to enforced military drill and to afternoon practice work in 

 the laboratories and with engineering instruments in the field. 

 It may be reasonably claimed that these young men performed 

 a considerable amount of work. There were also several 

 women, boarders and employees., who had meals regularly at the 

 commons. 



The college commons is conducted on the plan of furnishing 

 the students with their board at cost, with the expectation that 

 the weekly charge shall not exceed S3 nor fall below S2.50. As 

 a matter of fact, the cost during these dietary studies was about 

 S2. 75 per week. 



The general plan of the studies may be briefly outlined as 

 follows: At the beginning of each dietary study a careful 

 inventon- by weight was taken of all the food and food materials 

 in the house. During the experimental period all food pur- 

 chased was weighed and recorded in the same way, and all table 

 and kitchen waste carefully collected, weighed, and desiccated 

 for subsequent analysis. At the close of the period a second 

 inventory of all materials on hand was taken. In this way the 

 necessary data for ascertaining the net amounts of food con- 

 sumed were secured. In nearly all cases, except with meats, 

 samples of food materials on hand or purchased during the 

 period were secured for analysis. 



THE QUESTIONS STUDIED. 



In these dietary studies, as already stated, the attempt was 

 made to deliberately control to some extent the source and sup- 

 ply of animal foods. The object of this control was to bring 

 into comparison high-cost and low-cost foods as a source of pro- 

 tein, with especial attention to the influence of the free use of 

 milk as a low-cost animal food upon the character and cost of 

 the dietary! 



Milk was selected for special consideration for the following 

 reasons: 



(1) Milk has a widespread use as an article of diet, and in all 

 civilized countries is an important item of food supply. 



(2) Milk is a very valuable food. It contains a mixture of 

 the three classes of nutrients in forms that are readily digested 

 and assimilated. 



