INDIAN CORN AS FOOD FOR MAN. I4I 



flour and milk in the preparation of the johnny-cake and brown 

 bread, while the white bread was mixed with water. The hoe- 

 cake carries much less protein than the other breads, neither 

 white flour or milk being used in itg preparation. 



Since the differences in water content and the other differ- 

 ences resulting therefrom actually exist in the foods as eaten, 

 the composition of the fresh materials is, after all, the matter of 

 first importance. As eaten, the hoe-cake possessed only about 

 two-thirds the food value of the johnny-cake and brown bread, 

 while the last mentioned was distinctly inferior to johnny-cake 

 in the amounts of nutrients which it contained. In practice it 

 was found that the quantities of bread required and eaten were 

 inversely proportional to the water content. 



Several of the digestion experiments reported on the follow- 

 ing pages were made with 2 subjects and most of them with 4. 

 The results given in the table are the average of those thus 

 obtained. With all the corn products a double series of trials 

 was made, one with a " simple " the other with a " mixed " diet. 

 In the case of the hominy and hasty pudding the simple diet 

 consisted of the products named with milk and sugar as acces- 

 sory foods. With johnny-cake, brown bread and hoe-cake, but- 

 ter was used in addition to the above. The mixed diet included 

 meat and canned peaches. The men enjoyed excellent health 

 throughout the investigation, and while the diet at times proved 

 monotonous, they retained good appetites throughout the 

 experiment. 



The results of these experiments are given in the table on the 

 following page. The digestibility of the protein is shown in 

 the first two columns, in the second of which corrections for 

 metabolic products have been applied, as explained on page 138. 

 While it is not claimed that the method adopted for this pur- 

 pose gives absolutely correct results, there can be no doubt that 

 the corrected figures furnish a more accurate idea of the food 

 value of these materials, and in the discussion which follows 

 these results only will be considered. 



