10 BULLETIN 612, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
of the dasheen carbohydrates is concerned, it would seem immaterial 
whether the well-grown dasheen is mature or immature when 
harvested. | 
The difference in the amounts of carbohydrates supplied by the 
total diet eaten per subject per day in the various tests was quite 
large, varying from a minimum of 176 grams in experiment No. 520 
to a maximum of 290 grams in experiment No. 522, with an average 
daily consumption of 231 grams. On the whole, the differences in the 
values obtained for the digestibility of the carbohydrates with the 
different subjects in the different tests is small, and such variations as 
were found in the digestibilty of the carbohydrates did not corre- 
spond to observed variations in the amounts of carbohydrates eaten. 
Comparing the average value found for the digestibility of the 
carbohydrates of the dasheen, 97.6 per cent, with that reported for the 
carbohydrates of the potato, no significant difference is found. 
Bryant and Milner? on the basis of three experiments report the 
digestibility of potato carbohydrates to be 99.0 per cent; in an ex- 
periment reported by Rubner? the coefficient of digestibility was 
92.4 per cent; while Constantinidi® found that an average of 
99.6 per cent of the potato carbohydrates was utilized by the human 
body. 
CONCLUSIONS. 
In 10 digestion experiments with men, mature and immature dasheens 
were eaten in conjunction with common food materials in a simple 
mixed diet. The average coefficients of digestibility for the total 
diet were: Protein, 80.8 per cent; fat, 96.1 per cent; and carbohy- 
drates, 97.6 per cent. 
The value obtained for the digestibility of the carbohydrates, 97.6 
per cent, which for all practical purposes represents the digestibility 
of the dasheen carbohydrates, compares very favorably with that of 
potatoes, the common vegetable most resembling the dasheen. 
The subjects of their own volition ate on an average approximately 
12 pounds of dasheen daily without any observed physiological dis- 
turbances, which would indicate that considerable amounts of 
dasheens may be safely used in the dietary and that they are 
palatable. 
The results here reported were obtained from dasheens cooked by 
one method only; in the absence of data to the contrary it may be 
1 Amer. Jour. Physiol., 10 (1903), No. 2, p. 96. 
2Ztschr. Biol., 15 (1879), No. 1, p. 148. 
*Ztschr. Biol., 23 (1887), p. 449. 
