The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1892-08-27
THE HOME.
BEVERAGES FOR HOT WEATHER.

from extraordinary labors, as those of
the harvest field, or from the heat or OPP
pressiveness of the climate, other than
ordinary foods and drinks are craved by
the system. This is because extraordin-
airy wastes of the body are not entirely
replaced by ordinary foods and drinks.
The body suffers great losses of tissue in
hot weather when the perspiration is
excessive. Men at these times find much
relief in such drinks as cold buttermilk,
cold tea and cold coffee, lemonade, vine
gar and water, molasses and water,
home-brewed beers, and farinaceous
drinks, the last made by stirring various
meals into cold water and fiavoring with
nutmeg, etc. Some of these drinks
nourish the body and give the laborer
needed strength, some check excessive
perspiration, and all will, in measure,
relieve the cravings for alcoholic bever-
ages, and this is one great reason for en-
couraging their use.
So important does the writer consider
the farinaceous drinks, that he will quote
fully from the remarks of the learned
author of ssNaval Hygiene" DR.. Joseph
Wilson of the United States Navy:
On board the steamships, the firemen
employed about the furnaces are some
times greatly exhausted by heat. Their
profuse perspiration renders large guam
.tity of water necessary to supply the
waste. The ingestion of clear water I'M
der these circumstances appears to an
swer very imperfectly the wants of the
system. 1t seems to pass through the
skin, percolate as through a sieve, and
flow over the surface of the body in
streams. A large drink of cold, or even
cool water, under these circumstances on
an empty stomach is very dangerous,
and liable to produce death with almost
the suddenness of an electric shock.
Great practical advantage has been OBJ
tanned by mixing farinaceous substances,
particularly oatmeal, with the water to
be used by the men employed at this
kind of labor.
The oatmeal is mixed in the proper
ton of three or four ounces to the gallon
of water, and used according to inclina-
ton bv the firemen and coal beavers. 1t
might be difficult to determine why oat-
meal for this purpose shonld be better
than corn meal, buckwheat, rye, wheat,
millet, etc., but the firemen themselves
seem to think it has the effect of max
ing them strong as horses. We may
safely allow something for this sort of
prejudice, which we know to be very po-
tent among the influences on health and
disease. The peculiar odor of the oats
is probably associated with pleasant
degree of stimulation of the ahmentary
mucous surfaces in such way as to pre-
mote its complete digestion. 1t seems
to fill the blood vessels without increas-
ing the amount of cutaneous exhalations.
The men occasionally try acid, saccha-
rine and alcoholic drinks as substitutes
for the oats, but always with unsatisfac-
tory results, except that they find molas-
ses better than clear water, and those
who are disposed to insist on the excel
lence of rum and whiskey under all
circumstances petition for those, and
experience after ingestion momentary
relief, followed by additional profuse
ness of perspiration and additional ex-
haustion.
The attoley of our Indians is a nutri-
tive beverage of this kind. used princi-
pally at the South and throughout
Mexico. 1t is made by parching their
corn (maize) or other grain, pounding it
to meal in a suitable cavity of rock, with
smooth stone, and mixing it with a
little sugar if they have it. About
tablespoonful of this is stirred with a
pint of water from the spring, and swal-
lowed at two or three drinks, according
to their inclination. An Indian. provid-
ed with about two pounds Of attoley in a
little bag, is prepared to perform the
most fatiguing and dangerous journey of
two or three weeks, without expecting
assistance or supplies by the way, except
water from the spring or brook twice a
day. He appropriates, of course, any
little food which comes in his way, but
when this amounts to next to nothing he
comes out of such an expedition without
much apparent suffering on inconven-
fence. Nearly any other grain or grass
seed seems to answer the purpose,
though the Indian corn is generally pre-
ferred A very small quantity of food,
fully digested and assimilated, is capable
of supplying the waste of the system
even through extraordinary labor and
fatigue.
Are these farinaceous drinks not
worthy of larger use in the harvest field
and in industrial craftsmanship
Graft, in Albany Cultivator,
TRAP FOR CARPET BEETLES.
I recently found simple way to check
the increase of the buffalo carpet beetle.
This insect does its damage in the i'm
L. t@.~- IL. 4I.<