Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1895-11-14
RATIONS FOR TROOPS.
Wbat the Iron Ration Is.-Ths Sol
dIsrs 81 The Future To BE ipds-
pendent Of Supply Trains.

dIsrs 81 the Future To Re inds-
pendent Of Supply Trains.
Within . few weeks from now
United States soldiers will be pro-
vided for the first time with an iron
ration" The boards appointed to
consider the question OF emergency
foods, representa- the various de-
partments OF the army. are sending
In their reports. upon which final
conclusions will be based. Problem:
To make up a food package of small
bulk, which shall render the fighting
man Independent OF supply trains
for short period In case of an exi-
gency such as might arise from his
being wounded or cut of with de-
tachment from the main command.
Experiments in this line are being
made by all the great war powers. "
said Major Woodruff to q reporter of
the Washington Star at the War
Department yesterday. "They are
trying everything imaginable for the
purpose. Here, for example, is an
element OF the British emergency ra-
ton. 1t looks like q dog biscuit,
doesn't 1t ? Three ounces it weighs
and 1t Is four inches square. 1t is
composed simply of whole wheat, SOL
idly compressed. A condensed loaf
OF bread you might call it. The
French have new war bread,
which is to replace hard tack for the
use OF their army. It's ingredients
and the processes for making it are a
secret. When piece Of it is put
into hot water or soup. it swells up
like a sponge and is said to be virtu-
ally the same as fresh bread"
g For emergency rations evapor-
ated vegetables have been tried, but
not with great success. They are not
nutritious enough, and they do not
keep well. Here is one pound can
OF evaporatei onions. Smells strong,
doesn't itS 1t ought to, inasmuch
as it represents ten pounds of fresh
onions. In the same way potatoes car
rots ,turnips and cabbages are put up.
Desicated foods are now being pro-
duced on an enormous scale by many
firms in this country and abroad. A
good thing which we may adopt, is
this desiccated beef. One ounce of it
is equal to five ounces of ordinary
meat, because it is absolutely water
free. 1t is too hard to cut with q
knife without trouble, and 80 the SOL
der chops off small hunk of it.
He puts the piece into little ma
chine like coffee mill and grinds 1t
up. It comes out in fine shavings,
ready to be eaten on bread or TO be
used for soup stock.
beef tea, used as stimulant, is
a good thing for soldiers. For an
emergency ration 1t Is put up in cap
sules, one Of which makes a cup.
Each capsule contains the necessary
seasoning and costs two cents. Beef
tea contains almost no nutriment,
but only the flavoring and stimulat-
ing qualities of the meat.
1t is certain that canned foods
will play an important part in future
wars. The Belgian iron ration is
ten-ounce can OF corned beef, put up
in a liquor that is favored with veg
etables. The German emergency
ration is one-pound can OF pre-
served meat, with hard bread and
pea sausage. A biscuit composed of
meat and -four has been tried for the
German army. but the soldiers would
not eat it. The biscuit was supposed
to furnish the fighting man with
everything necessary for his physi-
cal support, water excepted. To be
satisfactory, ration must be pala-
table as well as wholesome and nu-
tritious. A dietary for troops can
not be settled on basis of theory
only; it must be tested in practice.
What will satisfy soldiers OF one
nation may not suit those of anoth-
err.
Very likely United States soldiers
would not put up with the German
erbswurst.' Yet that species of pea
is said to have been leading cause of
the success of the German arms In
the Franco-Prussian war. Without
it the troops could not have endured
the fatigue to which they were sub
jected. The sausage is made Of pea
meal, fat and bacon. 1t was devised
by a German cook, from whom the
invention was purchased by the
government for $25, ZOO. The secret
lies in the method OF preparation, by
which the article is rendered proof
against decay. Each sausage is
eight inches long and makes twelve
plates OF nutritious soup. There
could hardly be BET ter emergency
ration"
Among other things under con-
sideration by our War Department.
are condensed soups. This little
packet, which looks somewhat like a
bundle of cigarettes. contains just
three ounces OF desiccated pea soup.
You observe, it is so compressed as
to be quite hard. break it up and
throw it into this saucepan. To it /
add one quart OF water and I place it
on the gas stove here to boil For
flavoring, though it is not necessary,
let us add small quantity of these
evaporated onions. In the course
Of fifteen minutes will offer you a
plate OF very excellent pea soup.
Soups, you understand, are most
useful in rations. For health 1t
is not sufficient to put a certain
amount OF nutriment into the body;
the stomach must be distended.
Soup does that. Incidentally. the
soldier who consumes one OF the ra-
tons absorbs one quart Of sterilized
water.