The various cereals and their prepared products are, for several reasons, among the first and most important foods to be considered for every-day use: -

1. They are among the most abundant of all the foods which nature has supplied for man's use.

2. They rank pre-eminent among nutritious foods.

3. They are easily prepared, and when well-cooked, are easy of digestion and very palatable.

4. They are among the most economical of foods. Notwithstanding the important place these foods are fitted to hold in the dietary of man, aside from their use in the production of bread and an occasional dish of corn-meal, rice, or oatmeal, the cereals are seldom found among the dishes in common use in this country, though in many other lands, grains form the staple diet of a large proportion of the people. The most muscular men in all Europe are said to be the Russian grenadiers and the Scottish Highlanders, both of whom live chiefly upon a diet of grains, the one upon rye, the other upon oats. The strongest, most enduring races of ancient times were those whose diet was largely composed of grains. There can be no doubt that a more universal use of grain foods would exert a most salutary influence upon the condition of mankind at the present day.

Variety is quite as essential in the use of the cereals as in other foods. The great number of grain products found in the market, and the fact that they are nearly equal in cost, make it possible to employ a greater variety of this class of foods than of almost any other.

Undoubtedly the grain products would be held in higher esteem, were they more commonly well cooked. The cooking of grains is a very simple matter in itself, but through lack of care or knowledge it is seldom properly done. An improperly cooked grain food is as detrimental to health as a properly cooked one is beneficial. A grain simply because it is a grain is by no means warranted to fulfil its true mission unless properly prepared.