The heat-energy supply from milk comes mainly from its fat. Milk brings only sugar as a carbohydrate. The body needs starch as well as sugar. Bread, crackers, corn meal, rice, added to milk, increase the carbohydrate and bring starch into the diet.

Milk alone digests from 95 to 97% when taken slowly. In a mixed diet (animal and vegetable food) it digests completely. It furthers the digestion of other foods with which it is prepared or eaten, when it is incorporated in the diet, not added beyond the need for food. Milk taken quickly is acted upon as a whole by the rennin. The casein is formed into a large clot that the digestive juices cannot penetrate quickly or fully.

Cream that is stiff rather than simply thick is probably adulterated with gelatin. If in 12-18 hours cream of good quality does not rise to about 1/14 of the volume of the milk, that milk is not of superior quality. Skim-milk is 1/3-1°/o fat; whole milk, 2-6%; cream, 15-35%. Cream should be 1/4 fat as purchased. Butter has about 4 times as much fat as cream (only twice that of "separator cream"). As fat is laxative in effect, it furthers digestion of milk. Skim-milk is therefore less digestible, except as a food-ingredient in cooking; it is nutritious and inexpensive.

Compare cost of butter with that of cream. What percentage is left for work in butter-making ? Compare whole and condensed milk, whole and skim-milk. (Note especially nutritive value of skim-milk.) Use skim-milk and buttermilk. The flavor of the latter is the greatest appreciable difference. This is agreeable to many. For adults it is usually digestible. It may aid digestion through the agency of bacteria present.

All communities need and are increasingly establishing Milk Commissions to insure scientific inspection and regulation of all milk marketed.

See a dairy and creamery in operation if possible.