The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-30
The Ideal Army Ration.


Or. Louis L. Seaman i'm Leslie's Weekly
The ration of the army to-day consists
of the following constituents: Fresh beef,
or mutton when the cost does not exceed
that of beef, twenty ounces; or pork or
bacon twelve ounces; or salt beef, TWEEN
ty-two ounces; or, when meat cannot be
furnished. dried fish, fourteen ounces; or
picked fish or fresh fish, eighteen ounces /;
or cornmeal twenty ounces. Baking pow
der for troop in the field, when necessary
to enable them to bake their own bread,
sixteen twenty-ffths ounce. Beans or
peas two and two-fifths ounces; or rice
or hominy one and three-ffths ounces.
Potatoes, sixteen ounces; or potatoes,
twelve and four-hfths ounces, and onions,
three and one-ffth ounces; or potatoes,
eleven and one-fifth ounces, and canned
tomatoes, four and four-ffths ounces, or
four and four-ffths ounces of other fresh
vegetables, not canned, when they can be
obtained in the vicinity of the post or
transported in a wholesome condition from
a distance Coffee, green, one and three
fifths ounces. or roasted coffee, one ana
seven twenty-flfths ounces; or tea, green
or black eight twenty-hfths ounce. Sugar,
two and two-fifths ounces; or molasses or
cane syrup, sixteen twenty-fifths gill Vim
egar, eight twentyfifths gill; salt six
teen twcnty-hfths ounce; pepper black
one twenty-fifth ounce.
A proper diet for the tropics, obviously.
should be of a vegetable character. This
would supply the elements of energy,
without unduiy heating the body. This
Is Just what the ideal ration should ac-
complish. 1t should accommodate itself
to the needs of the individual everywhere.
In the North it should supply him with
the abundance of heat-producing elements
demanded by the colder climate, while
in the South 1t should linrt that supply
- -
new environment. 1t should, further, IN
southern or tropical campaigns. when bar
rack or camp life is abandoned for active
work In the field. readily adapt itself to the
increased demand of the system for nitro
genous elements; for field work, with Its
greater activity, requires greater energy
producing food than does the queter life
| in barracks
This was Illustrated in several resi-
ments that visited Porto Rico notably in
one of the artillery regiments which land
ed about the same time as did my own,
the First United States Volunteer En-
gtneers. This particular regiment saw the
hardest kind of work from the very mo-
ment of its arrival until upon the sign
| ing Of the protocol, IL was sent North.
During its stay on the sland-about six
weeks-the troops subsisted almost en-
| urely upon the travel ration" (nuch
worse than the field ration when Viewed
from the standpoint of the deaD, but they
| had comparatively little sickness the ef-
! feet of the excess OF the heterogeneous ele-
| ment having been neutraiized by the ire
mendously active life the men had been
| compelled to lead.
In order to reach the ideal, then, the
| present ration should be radically chang
ed. The beef and salt pork component
should be cut in two, and farinaceous food
and FISH substituted. There would he
! plenty of meat left even then for the old
| theory that meat alone makes Drawn and
| muscle has long since been exploded
Beef hos been beaten time and again on
| the athletic field; and on the plains of
| Marathon. in the great International games
! recently he'd In the presence of the King
| and assembled thousands, the victorious
| champion IN the twenty-five mile foot
| race was he who had not tasted a single
! ounce of meat in his long course of train
! ing. Sailed radons should also be issued
| but once orat most, twice during the week.
| and fresh supplies should be provided from
| beef on the hoof a the point where Is
| sued. OF the cereals. one Of the best is
| hominy, which Is not only nutritious and
| easily digested. but is re,ished by the men
| as we'll Equally valuable Is the rice com
| ponent, and Its present issue should he
| quadrupled In quantity. The black or red
! bean GrijoD OF the tropics should be sub
| stituted. In southern ATTITUDES, for the
| white bean of this country, and dried
fruits, especially apples and prunes.
should be added to the ratlons.