RESULTS OF FOOD INVESTIGATIONS. 177 
A family might, for example, consist of a mechanic and wife 
with four children, two girls of 12 and 6 and two boys of Io 
and 8 years respectively. Here it would be assumed that the 
man would be engaged at moderately hard manual work. Ac- 
cording to the above factors this family would be equal, in food 
consumption, to 1.0-+.8-++.6+.6+.5-+.5—a4 men at moderate 
muscular exercise. In the same way, a day laborer’s family, 
consisting of a father and mother with three children under 
7 years of age would be equivalent to 1.0+.8+-.5-+.4+.3, or 
3 men with moderate muscular exercise, and would require 
three-fourths the quantities indicated in the following menus. 


DAILY MHNUS. 
The following menus attempt to give as nearly as possible 
such range of food materials and variety of combination as 
might be found in the average household of people in well-to- 
do circumstances. The quantities of the different foods used 
per meal will not, it is believed, be found out of proportion to 
each other, though of course they will not suit every family. 
The weights of all materials, oatmeal, and other cereals, meat, 
vegetables, etc., are for these substances as purchased. 
The calculations of the quantities of nutrients contained in 
the different foods are based upon the average percentage com- 
position of these materials. Inasmuch as the fats and carbo- 
hydrates are used mainly as fuel in the body they are not 
shown.in the menus, only the quantity of protein and the fuel 
value of the food being taken into account. 
The cost.—The prices per pound used in estimating the cost 
of the menus were taken as the mean of the prices charged by 
a number of retailers in Connecticut cities. While they repre- 
seit average rates it is altogether probable that the ordinary 
family buys some materials more cheaply and pays more for 
others than these figures indicate. ‘The cost must of necessity 
be a more or less varying quantity, depending upon the quality 
of the materials, the season of the year, the locality, the place 
itself, whether large or small, city or country, etc. The cost 
to the farmer of milk, vegetables, and fruits would be much 
less than the prices indicated.* The table on pages 174 and 175 

* See note on page 188. 
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