davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

potatoes fills a window space in the laboratory. In this test, also, the tenn perature is perfectly controlled, SC so that each potato has an equal chance There is nothing hit or miss here any more than in the oven. While il steams each potato holds it's therm om eter> which projects through a cork i1 the lid of the steamer so that thu temperature can be read without re- moving the lid.
 we steam the potatoes in prefer ence to boiling them directly in water said Miss Connor. The flavor is bet tato will cook thoroughly without fall ing to pieces and it is in every way. thi better method. We also leave thei jackets on. Much of the valuable pro tein and mineral matter lie directl! under the skin and when the potato il pared this nutriment is lost"
 A potato peeler, Slicer and iron fry ing basket and pan comprise part o the equipment for the potato chii tests, and samples of the work looket ternptingly golden and crisp.
 Miss Connor is graduate of Cornell University. from which she gained thu degree of B. A. few years ago standing very high in all her classei and winning the Phi Beta Kappa piE for distinguished scholarship. All though she is yet very young woman she is deeply interested in the special scientific work she Is efficiently accomt plishing for the Department of AgrL culture and for the community at large
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

importance if the potatoes have a dis agreeable flavor or odor, if their flesh turns black after cooking, or if they do not prove suited to the demands of the housewife" said Miss Connor in talking of her work. fThe tubers from each seeding, which is thought worthy of saving are subjected to cooking test and if this is unfavorable the seeding must possess some very desir- able cultural characteristics to save it from the discard. sI f5
 I've make several tests of each seed ling during the course of the winter and complete data are kept for each individual tuber. You know the. com position of the potato changes slightly in storage, some of the starch being converted into sugar and the. water evaporating. Have you ever noticed the sweet taste you often get in po- tato late in winter? Its cooking quail ties, therefore, vary slightly at differ ent seasons of the year. The descrip- tfons and measurements of each potato are kept on uniform cards.
 There are three general tests which we~apply to each potato-boiling, bak- ing and potato chips. The first two methods of cooking are the foundation of practically all the ways in which potatoes are served in the household,
 The latter is method of commercial utilization which has been developed as a distinct industry well as an inn portant adjunct of delicatessen-; and
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

calities, or for varieties possessing cer- tain desirable qualities, such as heat and drought resistance, resistance to para
 sitic fungi, early or late maturity, high starch content, etc. The office of horticulture and pornoIogy of the Department of Agriculture has car
 rfed on such investigations for a number
 of years, under the direct supervision of Prof. William Stuart, who has succeeded
 in developing a large number of seeding potatoes. These seedlings are crosses be-
 tween known varieties whose character
 istics it has been deemed worth while to perpetuate, or to combine with the
 desired characteristics of other varieties AS result of the years of selection and breeding literally thousands of seeding
 potatoes have been secured. These are grown in all parts of the United States
 where the office of horticulture and
 pornology has experimental grounds
 Maine, Virginia, North Carolina, Colorado and fdaho-and complete records are kept
 of every phase of their development.
 Inc undesirable seedlings are discarded
 and those showing good characteristics are saved for further testing before being distributed among the different state ex- pertinent stations andseventually reaching seedsman and consumer. One. of these tests las been undertaken to show their
 culinary value.
 NO matter how disease or drought resistant a potato vine may be, the seeding will prove of little practical
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

laws from 1909 until he returned to this country to die in 1913, while his immediate successor, pr. J. M, Eager, succumbed to the insidious health con- ditions of the beautiful Italian port during the past summer.
 Both Of these men, in the opinion of theit p%roLhea % oil1Gers, 5ia III lae Puol1e le their country just surely as though they had been shot down in battle. The war against disease and infection may not be as spectacular as the campaign against an invading force, but it is very nearly as deadly, as the records of the public health service will prove. Yellow fever, the disease which car ried off Dr. Wightman at Guayaquil, has been directly responsible for the health service and indirectly for the deaths of two more.
 The first martyr to the cause of science in the government service from this cause was Dr. William A. Waldo,
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

this dust from a number of hospital wards and subjected it to microscopical analysis.
 As he had surmised, it contained tuberculosis and other germs. and the order went forth that all cracks be closed with an antiseptlc solution and carefully scrubbed with a solution poisonous to the baeilli.7 Dr. Decker's discovery, valuable as it was to science and to the proper management of hos pitals, caused his death, for he con, tracted the white plague, and, although rushed west, died shortly after reach ing New Mexico.
 * *
 Typhoid fever is the other scourge which has added materially to the honor roll of the service. While fight ing an epidemic of this disease in New Orleans in 1908 Dr. T. F. Richardson contracted typhoid and died; while Dr. w. w. Miller died from the same cause in Washington in 1910, after examining decayed animal matter for the presence of germs He found them but, unfor- tunately, absorbed them into his sys- tenn. and his death occurred only few days later.
 While the list of Uncle Sam's martyrs to the public health contains, for the most part, only the names of those who died as the direct result of fight ing disease, which, as a general rule, they contracted with fatal results, there is at least one case of great heroism of another sort. This is the incident connected with the death of Dr. Jenkins, who, while stationed on the coast of Alaska. was informed that man was desperately i'll with pneu- monia in a nearby lighthouse. Despite the fact that a very heavy sea was running, pr. Jenkins ordered that lifeboat be launched, and he assisted in rowing to the place where the patient was marooned.
 rapid examination of the sick man showed that the only chance to save his life was to remove him at once to hospital. Against the earnest advice of the volunteer life crew. Dr. Jenkins 1 insisted on attempting to return to land with his patient. On the way back the boat was overturned and every per. 1 son in the little craft drowned. Thus it is that the men who art | today struggling to- learn the inner secrets of the infantile paralysis plague do not consider that they are doing 1 anything out of the ordinary-they are 1 merely carrying out the traditions ot 8 service which says that the people | of the United States must be protected against the spread of epidemics, at any cost.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

Ecuadorean government to clean up the place. Dr. Wightman, supposedly immune to yellow fever, went to the port and sent back word to Washing ton that the sanitary conditions were almost beyond belief.
 "The natives are more or less in- mune to the diseases" he reported, 'tbut it is almost certain death for a for eigner to remain here any length of time'
 His death within six months after ar irving in Guayaquil proved the correct ness of his assertion, for, despite the numerous precautions which he took against disease and the fact that he had had yellow fever in his youth, he contracted the yellow scourge and died in Guayaquil without having been able to put into effect any of the health regulations and improvements which he had so earnestly striven to obtain.
 Four years later the United States gunboat Yorktown, under Commander Barto1ette, was forced to call at Guay- aquil for the purpose of protecting American interests in Ecuador during
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

militia organization about to come into the federal service, for, almost without exception, they were not already pro- vfded with such animals. First, let me say that few people realize that so many horses and mules can be needed for the use of the militia, estimated to number about 140,000 men, when far the greatest body, the infan- try. are foot troops. rzgr Y.
 'But every cavalry organization re- quires a horse for each man and officer, besides margin of 10 per cent for re- mounts; and in the new cavalry or gantzations it is estimated that there will be total of about 1,450 mounted men. Besides this will be required draft horses or mules for each cavalry regiment. =
 "An artillery regiment contains 1,200 officers and men and requires 1,400 horses to draw their field guns, am- intuition and supply wagons and to furnish mounts for their officers. The field hospitals and ambulance corps, the signal corps and the engineers, re- quire the remainder. Besides this horses are needed for staff use and for general purposes, especially if it be an open campaign.
 S'The necessary authority had been given to the department; and in pur-
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12
Special Correspondence WASHINGTON. D. (


 @OR a number of years past the |Cq United States Department of
 Agriculture has been studying the o potato and scientifically selecting and breeding new varieties that will bring 1t up to the highest standard of efficiency in its duty to mankind. In It's later ef- forts toward the improvement of the use- ful tuber, it has called in the assistance of a woman that she may bring her woman's knowledge of home economics to bear upon the study of the vegetable
 It is the province of Miss Margaret Con- nor, scientific assistant in pomoiogy, the youngest woman scientist in the govern ment employ. to put the potatoes through their paces from the standpoint of the home economist. ss..r. -,s -. Potato growing on a large scale in the United States has been centralized in half a dozen localities corresponding roughly to the various geographical di- visions of the country. This specia1iza- ton has created demand for varieties adapted to conditions in particular b.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

"All the potatoes are cooked at the same oven heat.'' explained the genius of this laboratoEy kitchen, and the in terior of each is allowed to reach the same temperature. This latter is de- termined by means of a small ther- mometer inserted into the center of each potato There is, of course, great difference in the length of time it takes different potatoes to cook. de- pending upon their size. shape. etc. The different seedlings show great variation from standard, some being most uneconomfcal and requiring en- tirely too much time and heat.
 ax A
 'This last year ran asseries of ex- periments with sone standard variety of potatoes. testing out the most de- sirable oven temperature for baking. There is marked difference in the length of time it takes potatoes of uni- form size, shape and variety to cook when the oven is too hot, or too cold, or just right. You would also be sur prised at the difference in the amount of waste when cooked in a very slow oven as compared with normal or with one too hot =9
 An apparatus for boiling. or more correctly speaking, for steaming the
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

skinned, by the allies to buy stock for their armies. It was found that in the eighteen months ending January, 1916, 550,000 or more horses had been ex- ported for use in the allied service, most of them going to the western area of conflict.
 'It is easy to see where the horses have gone but in event of lively war in the south what is the answer to the question, where are the- horses coming from for our army?
 'tHThe department, up to the limit a1- lowed it about 5000 - buys young horses to maintain a reserve for re- mounts There are three of these de- pots-Front Royal Fort Reno and Fort Keogh-where horses from three years up, bought from farmers and stockrais- CTS, are 'gentled'3a broken for use in the service. When matured they are issued to the organizations of the army as they are needed, but this does not increase the annual number of colts +H-
 With view to developing horses fit for army use, and, incidentally, suit
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12
Special Correspondence
WASHINGTON, D. C.,

NOLIOMYELITIS-w is the sci- |D entihc name for infantile pa parai- M lS ysis' the scourge which has
 swept over the eastern states during the past few months-may very probably be the next disease to claim as US victim a member of the uublic health service. the medical branch of the United States Treasury Depart ment, which spends it's time defending the nation from the ravages of all Kinds of epidemics. Already an as- sistant physician at the Municipal Hos- pital in Philadelphia, Pa, has lost his life in fighting that dread disease.
 In the hygienic laboratory of the public health service in Washington there are nearly a dozen men who daily race death In battling with the un- known Scourge, for EpoIfo", still re- mains among the maladies concerning which science knows but little The government experts are striving hard to learn the origin of the disease and 10 discover cure for it.
 In doing so they are shaking dice with death as surely as do soldiers upon the firing line, for no one knows at what moment the scourge may strike them down as a punishment for their persistency in attemptinfi to pene- trate into the uncharted realms of med fcal science.
 But In the event that any one of the governments surgeons succumb bs 10 infantile paralysis 1t is safe to say that he will face death calmly, content 10 know that his fate may add some thing to the small store of knowledge Of the malady and that it may aid in 6ome manner to combat the disease in the future.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

suance of a plan adopted year ago. as soon as the order to mobilize was made, the transportation division, gave instruc- tions to the quartermasters at the army remount stations and to the govern ment purchasing agents to advertise for horses and mules.
 
 * * 4. f 'oThe general specifications for those animals for army use are very rigid and require for cavalry horses a weight not less than $50 pounds, for artillery horses 1,150 pounds and for draft horses 1,200 pounds; but instructions were given that in making these purchases 1t would be optional with the govern ment to waive this provision and accept lighter weight. Bids came from various classes of people, regular stock dealers, stock raisers, farmers and horse. owners gen orally. They offered numbers ranging from one lone mare to the whole 62. 0o0. The prices were satisfactory. be- ing about S135 apiece. s irls - $. -''In detail the department contracted for 21,735 cavalry artillery 20,673 arti1-.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

bakery trade. If potato will prove satisfactory when subjected to these three tests it Is good for almost any thing We use, a standard, the Green Mountain, one of the most satis- factory, all-round cooking varieties. Some of the seedlings, grade higher in compa rfson, some lower. .
 'FThere are many more characteristics in a potato than the average person would believe. One with disagreeable flavor or with a bad color is of no use for culinary purposes, and if 8 potato takes too long to cook 1t is held un- profitable. If it is lacking in the quail ties of mealiness when baked or boiled, it is of little general value and is so graded. A mealy potato makes the best potato chips, strange to say, pro- vfded that the starch is well soaked out beforehand. 5=s
 "A good salad potato should possess slightly different characteristics from one primarily intended for baking, masfing, etc. It should be firm and waxy in texture, with cohesive parti- cles, so that the flesh may be cut into cubes without crumbling. Many of the large hotels and restaurants, before the war, imported foreign potatoes for salad purposes, the yellow, waxy flesh of these German and Holland varieties
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

spotted fever' which was devastating that section in 1912; he returned to Washington within three months after his marriage and died from the bites of the ticks.
 While more than half believing that he was immune to the malady, having years before, Dr. McC1fftic fully. reaT- ized the danger he was running in re- turning to the haunt of the tiny insect which hovers over the valley of the to continue his investigations of the strange disease and he went back. to Montana without a murmur. His heroic spirit and Self-immOlation were shown when, on returning to Washington, he was taken to 8 gov ernment hospital and told that he could arm, where the deadly ticks had raised said:
 They don't seem to be going down. I hope they don't disappear before the boys (hts colleagues) see them They might be able to make something more out of them"
 Three hours later he died, but not before the welts had been carefully ex- amined by his brother officers and he had been assured that his death would in all probability add greatly to the knowledge of science concerning the disease.
 Guayaqui1, Ecuador, has long been noted as one of the most dangerous ports of the western hemisphere. Scarcely a disease known to modern science but fourished there before the United States government undertook to clean out "the pest hole of the Pacific Leprosy walked unchallenged in the streets; the open gutters ran mud colored filth of all descriptions, and all the tropical and temperate fevers stalked deathlike in the shade of the lily ventilated houses
 The death of several Americans who had been working on the Quito and Guayaquil railway brought the State Department, in 1908, to realization of the absolute necessity for cleaning up the city, and Ecuador was asked whether, if the United States sent a health official to Guayaquil the author ities would try to sanitate the city. The reply, given rather half-heartedly, was to send the official down and they would see what could be done.
 Accordingly Dr. w. w. Wightman was instructed to go to Ecuador and make a report on the sanitary condition of Guayaquil with a view to forcing the
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

While there was no provision for pur- chasing the necessary animals before calling out the organized militia, there, fortunately, was no rule that forbade the division of transportation from making such preparation as lay in its power to secure an ample supply when ever an emergency might arise, and everything had been done to meet the situation, which. it had been foreseen, was bound to come.
 Accordingly, the division was not dis mayed when 1t was directed to procure the required number of animals. which had been computed and found to be 02,0OO horses and mules, involving the expenditure of something over sS'oOO. =
 Lieut.. Col Chauncey B. Baker. IT q A, or the Quartermasters Corps has told how this operation was Conducted
 When the order for mobilization of tne National Guard came 1t fell upon this division to provide animals for the
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

Four years previously Dr. J. F. Groenvelt, ordered to the front to fight yellow fever in Louisiana had con- tracted the disease and had died at the service camp at Chameleon Island, just 2 the beginning of the three great ''alternate-year epidemics' which swept the southern states in 1891, 1893 and 1895. Owing to the excellent manner in which the government physicians have fought yellow fever and the pre- cautions taken in quarantine to pre- vent it's entrance as well as it's spread the former curse of the gulf states has become almost a negligible quantity of late years, Dr. Wightman being the only government surgeon who has sue cumbed to this disease since Dr. Me Adams death in 1895.
 The intimate study of tuberculosis, which has been of such tremendous benefit in fighting the white plague, has also left it's imprint uponl9tfle roll of honor of the public health service, pr. Spencer c. Deven, pr. Emile Prochazka and Dr. c. w. Decker having paid with their lives for their temerity in study ing the causes and cures for consunnp- tion.
 The death of Dr. Decker was closely analogous to that of pr: McClintic, inasmuch as he died the direct re- suit of experiments undertaken to show that the germs of tuberculosis found a ready hidding place in the dirt and dust which lodge in the cracks of floors, no matter how well the latter may be scrubbed. Dr. Decker secured some of
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12
100, mules and 8, $40

lery horses; 14,90e, mules and sa.540 pack mules. .az7- ,.f -a+ae a- The department had no authority from Congress to maintain a reserve of horses beyond a certain small margin for the regular army, but it had a few thousand animals besides those purchased for the state troops, and they were being broken for army use in the rem ount stations in various parts of the country. These were available and were shipped at once to the auxil- iary 9depots at Fl Paso and Fort Sam Houston. t-t..s s'-.= .t.
 There were established auxiliary re- mount stations for the animals needing treatment either for some of the many ailments which sometimes attack them when they are kept in large bodies or where they may be treated for any &C., cident to limbs or body.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

:. By July IS more than 5000 horses and mules were drawing their daily forage at their new mobilization camps at Fl Paso and Fort Sam Houston, in addition to those which before that date had been issued to the militia troops along the border. T~
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

Lieut.. Col. Chauncev B. Baker, U. S. A., of Quarter masters Corps, Tells How Mounts Were Provided for Militia Organizations = If U. s. Should Have a Real War There Wouldn't Be Enough Horses in the Coun- try to Equip the Necessary Troops.
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12


 a revolution. The Yorktown anchored far out in the harbor of Guayaquil- one of the finest on the Pacific coast and took every precaution against dis ease.
 But, in spite of this, Commander Der toilette and three of his crew died of cholera and fourteen others were taken
 sick with the disease. Since this oe- currence- the city has been sanitated to a, certain degree under the direction of other United States government of ficials, but it still remains one Of the danger points of the Pacific coast Another port of call, larger and far
 better known than Guayaquil, which has claimed two officers of the public
 health service within the past four
 years, is Naples, Italy. Here it was
 that pr. H. D. Geddings fought an un-
 teasing battle for sanitation and the
 strict enforcement of the immigration
Norwich bulletin., 1916-10-12

The fight which is now being waged In Washington against poliomyelitis Is analogous in many respects to that conducted only a short time ago against the deadly cattle fever tick" of the western plains--a fight which cost the life of Dr. T. B. McClintic of the public health service. but which resulted in a greatly increased knowl- edge of the disease and the manner in which it spread.
 pr. McClintic, a man of tnirty-five. for whom was predicted a most bril- liant future, went to the Bitter Root district of Montana to study the