The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-04-08
COOKING BY DOG POWER
 NOW QUITE OUT OF DATE.


 to aid the police in time of peace and to drag machine guns and search out the wounded in time of war. but one of the principal occupations of the canine tribe in times past is now well night forgotten. Cooking by dog power appears to us a strange pro- ceeding, yet in the England of two centuries ago and in colonial America it was far from being uncommon. Even as late as April, 1915, the dog was a recognized assistant of the chef as evidenced in an advertisement in a London paper of that date in which the fixtures of a. tavern, offered for sale, included 8 ''dog-wheeP' and two turnspits.'
 The bench shows of today know not the turnspit, and, as a matter of fact, he was of no recognized breed of canine, but just a common cur who had been trained to perform his ardous duties in the culinary depart ments> of inns and households. The "dog-wheel'' was a. large wheel made of wood, enclosed in circular box The dog was placed in this wheel and the latter was connected by a run ming cord with a pulley which turned a. spit before an open fire. The meat to be roasted was placed on this spit and the dog was kept constantly rum ming, thus keeping them eat turning before the fire and roasting it even- ly.
 At one time practically all the tav-. erns and many of the households in England had turnspit dogs. It was no ttsoft snaIop they had, those canine of weary toll, for. g. large roast re- Quired three or four hours to cook properly. He was taught by many beats that to cease for a moment to rest his weary limbs was to arouse the anger of the cook. The four footed servant was often paid by scolding and drubbing, and was given barely enough food to enable him to perform his duties.
 In staverns and large establishments two or more turnspits were employed taking their regular turns of duty on the wheel. It is said that the animals often had an uncanay knowledge or the passage time, and while humble enough at other times, parked and snarled and showed their teeth when to begin their period of Servitude even Q few minutes before the time due. Many amusing stories of turn spit dogs are told by o1d-dme writ CTS. In one instance, it is alleged, 1 in an establishment where two dogs l were employed, one of them played 'thookey'' one day and hid himself in the garrett As a result, the other dog had to perform the duties of l both When finally released from his
 
 l overworked hunted out his c6mpan- ion, and attacked and finally killed him.
 l An Englishman who toured Wales in 1900 and wrote book about it tells of an inn where he stopped, in the kitchen of which 8 dog was ena- i pIoyed as a turnspit- "Great care is taken that the animal does not sob- serve the cook approach the 1arder,' he wrote; t'for if the dog does he i'm I mediateEy hides himself for the re-
 nnainder of the day, and the guest must be contented with more humble | fare than intended.''
 Many centuries ago pr. Caius, of
 Cambridge, the author of the first
 dock dealing with dogs, wrote:
 There is comprehended under the Ecurs of the coarsest kind 8, certain | dog in kitchen service excellent, for | when any meat is to be roasted, they 1 go into a wheel, which they turning about with the weight of their bodies, so diligently look to their business. that no drudge sculhon can do the
 feat more cunningly, whom the pop ular sort hereupon term turnspits.''