For the method of calculation and further data see "The
Adequacy and Economy of Some City Dietaries" by H.C. Sherman
and L.H. Gillett, published by The New York Association for
Improving the Condition of the Poor, 105 East Twenty-second
Street, New York City, from which these figures are taken.

By comparing the score with the price per pound we can easily see which
contributes most to the diet as a whole for the money expended. Thus, if
hominy and oatmeal cost the same, the oatmeal is more than twice as cheap
because we not only get a little more fuel from it but we also get
protein, calcium, iron, and phosphorus in considerably larger amounts;
that is, we shall need less of other foods with oatmeal than we shall with
hominy. This does not mean that hominy is not an excellent and a cheap
food, but it does mean that when the strictest economy must be practiced
it pays to buy oatmeal. The task of the housewife is to find out how much
she can make acceptable to her family; how much she can serve as breakfast
food, how much in muffins and bread, how much in soups and puddings. This
economy is strictly in harmony with the principles of food
conservation--saving of wheat, so hard to do without entirely, so easy to
dispense with in part.

Cornmeal gives as good a nutritive return per pound as cream of wheat, so
that as long as the price of cornmeal is not higher than that of the wheat
product it is both good economy and good patriotism to use it as far as
one can. And, even if cornmeal should be dearer than wheat, one can save
money by increasing the proportion of cereals in the diet so as to be able
to be patriotic without increasing the food bill.

A second measure which generally makes for food economy is to emphasize
the use of dried fruits and vegetables. The score of some of these foods
almost speaks for itself:

Dried fruits Score value
and vegetables per pound

Beans 3,350
Peas 2,960
Apples 955
Dates 1,240
Figs 1,782
Prunes 1,135
Raisins 1,550

Fresh fruits
and vegetables

Beans 472
Peas 475
Apples 156
Bananas 236
Oranges 228
Peaches 138
Pears 228

From the