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Comparative Value of Food in Nutritive Matter

Nutritive Matter.

Price. lb. £ s. d. 100 lbs. of Butcher's meat contain 35 2 18 4 ... ... ११ ११ Baker's bread (seconds) 75 0 18 9 ... ... ... ... ११ Home-made bread (seconds) 80 017 81 ... ... ...

Do. do. " ११ (brown) 78 013 6 ...

Do. do. (wheat and Indian meal)... 76 015 7 "" Do. do. wheat and rice) 68 014.0 ... ... ร१ Do. do. وو ११ (wheat and potatoes) 63 0 15 14 ११ Rice and sago 90 150 ... ... ... ... ... १७ ११ French beans (dried)... 92 1 10 0 ... " ११ Broad beans (green, but mealy)... 81 2 10 0 ... ११ ११ Peas (dried) 93 150 ... ... ... ... ११ Do. (green) 70 to 78 ... ... ... ... ...

Potatoes 25 to 28 063 ११ ११ ... ... ... ... ... ... १७ " Carrots and parsnips.. 14 2 10 0 0 10 0 ... ... ११ " Cabbages...

Turnips 61 ... ... ... ... 6 086 086 ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

From this table it will appear, that very nearly in proportion to the amount of the nitrogenized matter in the food, and its fitness for digestion, is the price in the market. Thus, butcher's meat stands the highest in price, not because it contains the largest quantity of nitrogenized nutritive matter, but because it is the most digestible of those which are so compounded, and contains, in addition, a liberal supply of those saline matters which are required; it is therefore valued at 1s. 8d. per lb. of nutritive matter. Dried beans and peas, on the other hand, which contain about the same proportion of nitrogen (see table at page 5), are only valued in public estimation at 4d. per. lb. of nutritive matter; the reason being that they are neither so digestible nor so easily convertible into fibrine as meat, and that they do not contain a proper amount of saline matters. Bread, again, which is composed of these elements in a suitable proportion, sells at 3d. per lb. of nutritive matter, and is consequently much cheaper than meat, or even than beans and peas, and very much more so than potatoes, rice, and sago, which, though so much vaunted as a cheap food, are really deficient in every point of view, being actually sold at from 3d. to 31d. per lb. of nutritive matter, and that of a kind almost wholly without nitrogen. The exact price of potatoes is 3d., and of rice or sago 3 d. per lb. of nutritive matter. Carrots, parsnips, cabbages, and turnips, vary from 8d. to 1s. per lb. of nutritive matter, and cannot, therefore, be compared in this respect with any of those kinds mentioned above; but from the quantity of saline matter which they contain, they are invaluable adjuncts to meat, bread, and potatoes, and should never be omitted for any lengthened period. SECT. 4.-ON THE QUANTITIES OF FOOD REALLY DEMANDED BY