Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1914-06-16
SidelightS on Mexico
(BY A VETERAN.)

Washington, June ID believe i
was Napoleon who said: can army
travels on it's belly" The Creates
commander of history put the gruS
wogan ahead of the rifle as fight
ing weapon.
Since Napoleon overran Europe
there have been enormous advances
in the art of feeding an army in the
field. Recently l visited large army
encalpment and from commissary
Officer obtained some interesting
facts.
Sixty to seventy-fve men bake for
a division of troops, 10000 men, and
except under extraordinary conditions
they produce fine bread. They con-
stitVte field bakery
The field bakery comprises twelve
field ovens, large affairs so lightly
built that they can be readily trans
ported on horse or auto trucks.
The product is called field bread"
It is palatable, although hard. 1t re-
mains good for twenty days. The
baking is done in slow oven and
the bread contains little water. The
loaves are arranged in the pans so
as to eliminate kissing" surfaces.
The loaves are entirely covered with
crust. Just before the loaves are
baked they are punctured allowing
the heat to get inside. The resulting
bread is very solid and may be piled
like pig iron.
Rations for 100000.
But this field bread is only one
item in the soldiers fare. II we
should invade Mexico with half a
million men we would require every
day: Bacon, 262,500 pounds; field
bread, 100000 pounds; sugar, 100000
pounds; desicated vegetables (pota-
toes and onions), 1880 pounds; COT
fee (roasted and ground, $4,000
pound; beans, $4,000 pounds; toma-
toes, $4,000 pounds; jam, 1880
pounds; vinegar, 5000 gallons; salt,
10000 pounds; pepper, 1880 pounds.
Of course this is only sample day
and our commissary officers would
try to vary the dietary as much as
possible. They would try to buy
fresh meat and vegetables from the
people of the country through which
they were marching. But if nothing
could be so procured it would take
fifty freight cars, Or 214 army wagons
to transport this days foodo. The
supplies have total net weight of
100000 pounds.
This would be an average of two
and three-fifths pounds to soldier
Rations are often much more concen
| trated. Colonel Maude, \ famous
strategist, wrote recently:
Il have myself lived on rations of
mixed meat and vegetables of which
eight days supply weighed only one
pound, so that single mule could
carry a days rations for war
strength battalion or a single wag-
on, loading up to two tons, could
transport $4,000 rations or enough for
cavalry division of 1000 sabres, for
NEARLY fortnight"
| tBrigadier General Henry G. Sharpe,
commissary geenral of the United
States army, recently called an army
a city flung down suddenly in the
. country, each day moving, each day
requiring fresh alterations of the ar
rangements by which food is convey
ed from the producer to the consum-
err"
Supplying the Army.
The main supply depots for an
American army operating in foreign
country would be in the United
States Officers of the commissary
service would purchase food here in
the open market or by system of
bids and this food would be delivered
to the depots whence it must be de-
spatched to the army in the field.
The army in the field has a base
i of operations to which the food sup
piled flow from the main supply de-
pots. This line of communication is
very important. 1t must be guarded
if necessary, by large bodies of