The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1902-10-24
COMPRESSED 1000 ron CAMPERS.

~~Wf RA99Eb F0gg FUN kAHFG H9t
The United States Army Ratl0u the Most
Successful Yet in the Murhet
The traditional woodsmau, hunter.
or traDper, who staggered under a hun
dred pounds or more Of food and
impedlmental has had HIS burden re-
duced very greatly In the past FIVE
years. Lighter rides and shotguns.
ammunition Of smaller calibre. and
considerably less weight for modern
rifles; thin pressed steel or aluminium
dishes which nest compactly into one
another 50 that not q, nook or corner
IS wasted; packs, baskets. and straps
OF minimum weight and maximum
convenience, have all taken something
from the grieyous load the camper
used to tote" Still more remark
able are tie changes brought about
by the condensed andi compressed
foods which, under one name or an
other, are for sale In ALI the outing
stores"
Salt pork, cornmeal, white beans,
and tea. reinforced. Of course, By fish,
game, and native fruits, the dietary
recommended and many a Pocket
Guide to Hunting and Trapping" was
bulky and also heavy in proportion TO
its nutritiYe' value. Canned goods gn-
til recently took up practically as
much room as the same articles in
their natural state, and there was
little gain in buying them, except for
boat or canoe trips when there vas
plenty Of space.
Canned soups Of the, standard
brands were put up ready to serve
without dilution, and the only portable
substitutes were the time4honoFed
Soup cakes" Of the kind used in the
Swiss Family Robinson" AS soon as
the idea was conceived of manufacture
ing something between these two ex-
tremes, it was taken up by several
makers. The condensed soups of to-
day are thick and require to be mixed
with several times their bulk of water,
but they have not been boiled down so
far as to sacrifice their faYorrand deli
cacy.
Experiments in the way Of flood
tablets" have met with varied results.
A large firm of packers once adver-
tised a compressed tabloid Of meat
AMI various vegetables, dried and
closely pressed so as to- Keep, in the
language Of advertisements; "for years
in any climate" The trouble with
this particular Wand was that it did
not taste good!
The United States governments in
its experiments with the army's food
supply has incidentally accomplished
a great deal for the campers benefit.
The regular emergency ration is per
haps the most successful preparation
of its kind ON the market Al square
tin can, no. larger than the ordinary
pint fruit can; is suppose to contain
three meals, not hearty repasts, how
ever, for a. really hungry man. There
is packet of tea inside the can, an
other packet of seasoning, ami a solid
lump of a. mixture of al partly dried
meat with vegetables. The adaptable
ity of this ration to, various purposes
is it's strongest point. Mixed with
water to the consistency al a thick
paste and brown i'm a PAN, it becomes
hash. Trimmed with a trifie, less water
it can be,shaped into, balls or fat cakes
and fried as Hamburg steak. Stirred
up with larger. proportion of water,
a savory stew is the, result.
Several Of the packing and canning
firms have put ON the market recently
an assortment of fat cans containing
al the staple meat and fish products,
practically without juice. in the cans,
and squeezed into the smallest pos
sible, compass. The fat can is a con-
yenienee for packing which the max
ers, sem to be slow in approaching.
AT the opposite extreme from the
pork and beans are the malted-milk
tablets and similar preparations which
supply nutriment In it's least compass
but do not pretend to take the place
of the regular diet for healthy persons
doing active work Druggists testify
to- the extensive use of these in place
Of MONDAY luncheon by business men
of poor digestion and neverous tenn.
permanent, but they are not to be con-
sidered in supplying the woodsman's
pack.