We find nearly the opposite of this in cottonseed oil, a
large supply and a relatively smaller demand making a low
price. The seed (a by-product of the cotton industry) con-
tains a large quantity of oil, and it is not all used as food.
Therefore, it is permanently a low-priced fat, as contrasted
with the permanently high-priced fat, olive oil.
Agricultural conditions. — There are two things of which
the farmer can never feel sure, the kind of weather to expect
and the general character of the season. Of course, the
season affects the quality and the amount of any crop, and
this, again, influences the price.
Another aspect of the effect of season on food is this : that
a food is in its own locality cheaper when it is in season than at
other times of year, when it has to be brought from a distance.
Insect pests and plant diseases not infrequently spoil a
crop, and the market price goes up with the smaller supply.
This is what happened not long since to the potato crop and
potato prices, when potatoes were affected by the potato
blight. Moreover, if the farmer succeeds in keeping his
crop free from a particular pest, it means a more or less per-
manent increase in his expenses, for in fighting insects and
THE COST AND PURCHASING OF FOOD 281
fungi there is an outlay for machinery and chemicals, and
much labor is expended. Unfortunately, injurious insects
and plant diseases are on the increase, and this may mean a
permanent rise in the cost of certain foods. Another fact
has to be reckoned with in comparing the prices of different
foods. Some vegetables are more difficult to raise than
others, even when the season is favorable, and the insects
at least partly conquered. Some plants have more vitality
than others, and grow under almost any condition of soil and
moisture.
Animal diseases must also affect the price of food. If a
large number of cattle are found to have tuberculosis, and
are condenmed as food, healthy cattle bring a higher price,
because, again, the supply is small in relation to the demand.
Quality of food. — Poor food always costs less money than
good food, but it may not be economy to buy it. There
may be more usable material in one good apple at five cents
than in three wormy ones for five.
Form and place in which food is sold. — Food in the
package costs more than in bulk, and each fancy label adds a
fraction to the cost. Plate-glass windows and ribbon decora-
tions in a shop and the large expense of rent on a fashionable
street are all paid for by the consumer.
Relative cost of home and shop products. — When pre-
pared food of any kind is purchased, one pays for raw mate-
rial plus the cost of fuel and the labor involved in the cooking
and the cleaning of apparatus and kitchen. For example,
canned soup sold by one of the best manufacturers brings
a good price because so much time and labor are used in a
careful inspection of all material, and in keeping up a high
standard of cleanliness. Remember, too, that whenever
cooked food appears on the table, these two items, fuel and
labor, are in reality added to the cost of the raw material.
282 FOODS AND HOUSEHOLD MANAGEMENT
Page 188
Presented as published in 1914. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
We find nearly the opposite of this in cottonseed oil, a large supply and a relatively smaller demand making a low price. The seed (a by-product of the cotton industry) contains a large quantity of oil, and it is not all used as food. Therefore, it is permanently a low-priced fat, as contrasted with the permanently high-priced fat, olive oil.
Agricultural conditions. — There are two things of which the farmer can never feel sure, the kind of weather to expect and the general character of the season. Of course, the season affects the quality and the amount of any crop, and this, again, influences the price.
Another aspect of the effect of season on food is this : that a food is in its own locality cheaper when it is in season than at other times of year, when it has to be brought from a distance.
Insect pests and plant diseases not infrequently spoil a crop, and the market price goes up with the smaller supply. This is what happened not long since to the potato crop and potato prices, when potatoes were affected by the potato blight. Moreover, if the farmer succeeds in keeping his crop free from a particular pest, it means a more or less permanent increase in his expenses, for in fighting insects and
fungi there is an outlay for machinery and chemicals, and much labor is expended. Unfortunately, injurious insects and plant diseases are on the increase, and this may mean a permanent rise in the cost of certain foods. Another fact has to be reckoned with in comparing the prices of different foods. Some vegetables are more difficult to raise than others, even when the season is favorable, and the insects at least partly conquered. Some plants have more vitality than others, and grow under almost any condition of soil and moisture.
Animal diseases must also affect the price of food. If a large number of cattle are found to have tuberculosis, and are condenmed as food, healthy cattle bring a higher price, because, again, the supply is small in relation to the demand.
Quality of food. — Poor food always costs less money than good food, but it may not be economy to buy it. There may be more usable material in one good apple at five cents than in three wormy ones for five.
Form and place in which food is sold. — Food in the package costs more than in bulk, and each fancy label adds a fraction to the cost. Plate-glass windows and ribbon decorations in a shop and the large expense of rent on a fashionable street are all paid for by the consumer.
Relative cost of home and shop products. — When prepared food of any kind is purchased, one pays for raw material plus the cost of fuel and the labor involved in the cooking and the cleaning of apparatus and kitchen. For example, canned soup sold by one of the best manufacturers brings a good price because so much time and labor are used in a careful inspection of all material, and in keeping up a high standard of cleanliness. Remember, too, that whenever cooked food appears on the table, these two items, fuel and labor, are in reality added to the cost of the raw material.