Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1903-07-24

kitchen range by General Weston, The
present Commissary General of the
Army. General Weston applied him.
self TO inyenting a military hash and
stew and he went into the kitchen
himself in the effort to obtain the com.
njnation. The beef stew is madL OF
selected meats, potatoes. onions. and
sauce prepared from the juice of the
meat. The hash is made of meat, pc
tatoes. onions, and the usual condf
ments. This is the latest Development
in the army commissariat. During
General Weston's research he was
wont to call in prominent people, ana
regale them with luncheons of the ex
detrimental food. 1t was found. too,
that soldiers in various localities have
special cravings--in the tropics 1t IL
for sweets and acids. In Cuba the SUD-
sIstence officers sent barrels Of vinegar
to the firing lines, broke In the heads,
and let the men dip in their cups ana
help themselves. 1t is on record that
John Jacob AstOr, volunteer stan
officer. with wealth enough to buy Inc
peach crop of country, was grateiu'
for can Of peaches; and a common
spectacle was that of a man consuming
the contents of can of tomatoes. In
the Philippines it has been FOUND pos
sible to satisfy the demand for sweets,
ard no less than 10000 pounds OF
candy are shipped yearly to our sol
diers in the archipelago. Candy was
also sent to the troops in China, and ing
1900 pounds Of the first shipmen,
lasted but two days among the l2Ot
men. 1t came a few days before
Christmas, and it made the foreign
allies wonder at the prodigality OF
government. They could understand
why General Weston told a foreign
military attache the other day that the
latter's cou-try could not afford tc
feed it's soldier as we did ours, for II
would take nearly 100000 day tc
give the largest Of European armies
That is why the national militiama,'
or the regular is better off with his
beef hash, baked beans and candy than
the German and French, for instance
with their fresh bread. or the Russian
with his hot soup. The Germans adj
here to the fresh bread principle Sc
tenaciously as to supply bread baking
wagons. which are supposed to keep ur
with the troops. and furnish them WITH
that article while they are OH march
or even in the enemy's country; while
the French have portable oven thai
may be taken apart as a convenience
in transportation. Our officers do moi
consider fresh bread Indispensable. and
it has been found that the hard brea1
is quite as nutritious, and is at hand
when it is wanted by the hungr"
trooper.
The soldier in the field has Furnished
an alluring and lucrative market for
the concocter Of concentrated foods
There are innumerable concentrated
soup and meat extracts, the latter now
being in the fOrni Of capsules. The
patent ration used by us in the Phil
ippines is put up in Oblong Tin cans.
opened with key. The contents are
supposed TO contain pea-meal cracker.
dust, bacon fat, and with seasoning
1t is always interesting to know what
the soldier gets in the way of extras"
In some armies he gets nothing, and in
our own country tobacco may be con-
sidered the only luxury, aside from
candy. He will never get his "grog"
again. In England gill of rum may
be issued on the order of the doctor
The Germans have. tobacco, and in an
enemy's country the ration is increased
by the issue Of spirits. In the Hun.
garan army the ration includes
brandy. tobacco, and sometimes cigars
Although tea is the national beverage
in Russia it is not part of the official
alton, but is purchased by the soldiers
themselves. In Holland the war ra
ton includes, under special crcum.
stances, half-lter Of gin. The Bel.
gian is one of the few soldiers in the
world who gets butter in his ration
The japanese soldier receives spiced
vegetables and tea, and in hot weather
during the war with China hard -four
biscuit was substituted for the rice
which is the principal portion Of the
Jap's ration. 1t is to this extent that
the soldiers of the various armies are
allowed extras" as n means Of contrib.
uting to their contentment in active
service.
That army has the best fighters
which gives its soldiers the best food
Military strategy Is akin to military
subsistence. Victory in arms may DO
said to depend upon the satisfactory
employment Of the digestive organs.
and the alimehtary canal is intimately
related to heroism. Our army is the
best in the world for its size, because
its soldiers are the best fed.-Harpers
Weekly.