Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1909-05-28
FEEDING THE AMERICAN ARMY


Every great general" says the Scientific
American, "who has Unanswered large
fighting force has discovered the truth OF
Napoleon's declaration that AN army trav-
els on its stomach :; and to more than one
has come the bitter realization that the
hest army is the army that has the best
stomach. There is nothing which so COM
pletely withers patriotism and smothers
COURAGE as the gnawing pain of indiees-
ton; therefore, the feeding OF an army
has been given as much study as its equip
ment as destroying force.
The amount of food required for ten
DAVIS rations of the American army is
graphically shown in diagram presented
by the publication above quoted. in which
are enumerated the following amounts OF
the staples of consumption, in pounds
Corn meal, 875, 1000; beef, $4,000; can
ned meat 100000; bacon. $4,000;
picked fish. 1877, 500; potatoes, 100000 4;
SUGAR. 40 900 coffee, 10000 dried fruit,
10000; beans, 10000, and onions, TO-
600. If this much food is required to feed
the army for ten days, think of the enor-
nous quantity (more than thirty-six times
as much) consumed in year.
The Scientific American. in its article on
this subject, gives the following additional
particulars
in the superiority of food. based on the
cost of the ration, the American army
r
stands far ahead of the other armies oil
the world; in fact there is no comparison
whatever between the American ration
and that of any other country on the
Globe. The cost of the American army ra-
ton is nearly one hundred per cent greater
than the British army ration, and none OF
the other countries with big military estab-
Eshments feeds its soldiers anywhere near
Nv as extensively as the English govern
ment does.
1.-THE American army ration is divided
into three kinds: Garrison ration, field ra-
ton. and emergency ration. The garrison
ration is that given soldiers at regularly
established military posts field ration, that
issued to troops in the field in active cam
paien. The emergency ration is con-
densed ration in which the best and most
valuable nutritive elements are combined
in the smallest bulk. In composition the
garrison and field ration are almost iden-
tical Each ration, which is supposed to
keen the soldier for one day, furnish
ind breakfast, dinner and supper, consists
of 20 ounces of fresh beef or mutton, IL
ounces of bacon, 16 ounces of canned meat
or canned fish, ID ounces of dried fish or
IS ounces of picked fish, IL ounces OF
-four or 20 ounces of cornmeal. either z %
ounces of beans or peas, or 3-5 OF rice
or hominy, and either 16 ounces OF pota-
toes or IL AS ounces of potatoes together
with 3-5 ounces of either onions or to-
matoes. 1 3-5 ounces of dried fruit, 3-5
ounces of coffee, and is ounces of sugar
The ration also includes very small guam
titles of vinegar, salt, pepper. soap and
candles.
THE army ration. it will be seen, con-
tains none of those things which are ordi-
narily considered luxuries. For instance
there is no milk included in the ration, and
the soldier must take his coffee black UNI
less he is able to purchase can OF con-
densed milk from the sales store with his
savings Congress has authorized the
commissary department to keep on hand
other articles of food that are not included
in the regular ration These are kept II
the sales stores, and are issued to the
mess steward in return for savings from
the regular rations Out of company o.
a hundred men, there are a number who
do not eat all of the articles in the ration
These would be wasted if drawn by ht
mess steward therefore, when the thou
sand rations are issued to him, he return'
to the commissary that part of the various
components that he thinks will not b,
used. This. in the language of the army
is making saving on the rations.
1.-THE value of the articles returned to thu
commissary is computed, and the mes
steward is allowed to draw from the 'sale
stores sufficient quantity of luxuries tina
are not in the regular issue, equal to tn,
value of his saving The government
however, will not allow saving to b'
made on certain articles in the ration
Fresh meat, dried or preserved fish, pota
toes, onions. tomatoes, prunes, apples, AM
peaches must be used; saving canno
be made on these articles. They contain
Just the proper nutritive elements, and tn
quantities given are what the normal sol
der should eat
cRpATOP rTAY III VS. STGAR