Evening star., 1899-04-18
RECOMMENDED BY COL, WESTON.
But He Contemplated Combining
NcGetables with Canned Reef.

AT yesterday afternoons session of Inc
beef court of inquiry Col j. f. Weston said
that pricr TO the beginning of the war he
had recommended the purchase of canned
beef for the army in the field, but
that he had contemplated that yegetab bles
and condiments would be used with the
beef. He had thought it would be we'll to
put potato and an onion in each can. He
had been compelled to throw overheard
10000 pounds of vegetables Tomatoes,
however, were landed soon after the army
at Santiago, and potatoes not much later
There was more bacon than roast beef land
ed, but the beef packages We're neater and
the packers preferred to forward it. There
was always more food on shore than could
be forwarded, and for this reason, if the
army had been much farther inland, it
would have been compelled to fall back.
Analysis of Meats.
Prof. Atwater testified that the ordinary
chemical analysis .does not reveal the pres
ence of many materials which might be OBJ
Jectionable Veal with a little fat added
might not be distinguished from beef, or,
Tor that matter, mutton, pork, horse flesh
or dog flesh might be so cooked as not to
be distinguished from beef He said the
principal articles extracted and lost in par
boiling beef for canning were the meat
bases and the mineral salts, but that the
meat bases We're not Tissue builders and
therefore not essential The natural salts
We're more important, but these We're also
secured in vegetables. The boiling should,
he said, facilitate the digestion of the meat,
yet he had mace some experiments showing
that the process had the effect of hardening
the tissue or meat. He expressed the opin-
ion that the canned beef was boiled and not
roasted. He did not think, however, that
the boiling process impaired its digestibili-
ty.
Replying to questions by Major Lee, Prof
Atwater stated that the conditions under
which the young men upon whom he had
experlmented with the canned beef had
been placed naturally were different from
those of soldiers in the field.
DtsaEreeable Experiences.
Their diet, limited though it was, was
still more varied than that of soldiers. Still,
each Of the men had experiences which
were more or less disagreeable when eat
ing the meat. What was one mans food
was often another's poison he said.
Asked what would be his conclusion if he
mad known OF an instance in which canned
meat nad peen supplied Losmen and % per
cent of them had refused to eat it when
hungry. Prof Atwatsr replied promptly
that he would try to get some other food -
AT the same time the food in question might
not nave been obJectionalle physiologieaIly
or estheucaliy under other circumstances.
He expressed the opinion in written ad-
dendum to his report, which was read, that
the canned roast beef. supplied to him for
analysis contained psHnd for pound a
greater amount Oh nutrition than the fresh
beef. Still, If meat Was to be the sole
article of diet, fresh dhed1.or corned beef
would probably be preferable. This was
not intended to disparage the canned beef
as a constituent of 3nffxed diet. and his
observation now would not prevent his per-
sonal use OF canned meats in the future if
wholesome and nutritious. and of agreeable
favor. tsfts
Capt. Pomeroy was recalled to correct
the impression that there tsyas a question
of veracity between himself and Col. A. l..
Smith in regard to the Iatter's statement to
beef. He said he had compared notes with
Colonel Smith since both had given their
testimony, and that the latter had told him
that he referred to DoId's prepared beef