10 DAIRY TECHNOLOGY 



According to experiments, cows' milk contains 3.6 per 

 cent proteid, of which 3.48 per cent is digestible. It con- 

 tains 4.9 per cent carbohydrates, of which 4.7 per cent is 

 digestible. It contains 3.7 per cent fat, of which 3.7 per 

 cent is digestible. 



Relative Cost of Milk. — The place of milk in the diet, 

 its use as a substitute for other foods and the relative value 

 of the nutrients it contains, as compared with the cost of 

 nutrients in other foods, are not generally reahzed. Some 

 investigations were made at the University of Maine,^ 

 in which the effect of quantities of milk was tried at the 

 university boarding house. From this investigation the 

 following conclusions were drawn: i. An abundant supply 

 of milk in the dietary decreased the cost without decreasing 

 the acceptability of it to the consumer. 2. The increased 

 consumption of milk increased the proportion of protein 

 in the diet. 3. The consumption of large quantities of 

 milk was accompanied by a decreased consumption of 

 other foods. 4. Milk is not a luxury but an economical 

 food that might be more widely used as a means of im- 

 proving the character of the diet and of reducing the cost 

 of animal foods. 



One quart of milk (2 lbs.), and three quarters of a pound 

 of moderately fat beef, such as sirloin, contain about the 

 same food value,^, but we pay different prices for them. 

 Milk is the cheaper and comes the nearer to being a per- 

 fect food. One might live on beef alone, but it would 

 be a one-sided diet, while milk is more nearly a balanced 

 ration. 



I U. S. Dept. of Agr., OJJice of Exp. Sta. Bui. 37. 

 ' v. S. Dept. of Agr., Farmers' Bui. No. 23. 



