ARMY AND NAVY RATIONS.

ARMY RATIONS.

By the term "ration" is meant the sum-total of the daily allowance of food issued by a government to its soldiers and sailors. Candles and soap also form part of the ration. Computation of the quantities of the various component parts of the ration is greatly facilitated by the use of the "Army Ration Issue and Conversion Tables," which show, almost at a glance, the amounts required for any number of rations from 1 to 50,000.

The subject of army rations has received careful study. The subjoined tables, taken for the most part from articles on army diet by Major Charles E. Woodruff, of the United States Army, give a summary of the rations furnished the various armies of the world.

The ration in times of peace is easily arranged. Whether or not the soldier is well fed will depend largely on the commander and the cook of the company. Each soldier is required to do his own cooking, except in garrisons, when certain men are detailed for that duty. If the cook is energetic and skilful, he will be able so to arrange the diet as to give the men sufficient variety; if, in addition to the regular ration, there are a kitchengarden at the army post and a well managed "savings fund," the company should live very well indeed. On the other hand, if the cook is unskilful or lazy, and if there is neither kitchengarden nor savings fund to draw upon, the company will receive a monotonous or even an injurious diet. The "savings fund " is made up of the money obtained from the sale of unused rations. That part of the ration which is not utilized is resold to the commissary, and the money so obtained is expended by the commander of the company for table luxuries. The fund is augmented by the profits of the "Post Exchange," which is a sort of general store where tobacco, lunches, and the like are sold. The amount and variety of food supplied are set forth in the following tables,' compiled by Woodruff from observations made by him at Fort Assiniboine, Montana :

1 Woodruff, The Journal of the American Medical Association, December 3, 1892, p. 651.

Bacon

12612

5,116

1386

Oatmeal.

Cornmeal

1.40

Percentage of Waste.

8.00 only 9 pounds were reported, but this was in{creased in 31 pounds, to include bones, etc.

3.30

22.50

. 27.09
. 21.04

Crusts and small unavoidable wastes.
19 bone, 24 fat, and other wastes.
Parings and defective ones.

33.00 Stones and other wastes.

45.00

12.00 Estimated.

Additional Articles Consumed.

338 lbs. green coffee. 1.23 ounces. 1.60 ounces.-Or

0.03 ounce. 0.32

0.036 ounce. 0.04 ounce.

8 lbs. tea.

10 lbs. pepper

3 lbs. mustard.

24 lbs. baking-powder.

6 lbs. currants.

5 gallons pickles.

11 bottles flavoring extracts.

66

Allowance is large to allow of making a saving to be used in making sauer-kraut and pickles in the fall.

4 kegs pickled pigs' feet

Though containing much energy, it is omitted because composition is unknown, and the actual amount per man is very small.

The United States is the only nation that furnishes the entire ration to the soldier. The following table, compiled from the "Army Ration Issue and Conversion Tables," gives the United States Army ration:

Or fresh mutton when the cost does not exceed that of beef

.20

Baking-powder for troops in the field when necessary to enable

them to bake their own bread

20

#

Or potatoes 113 and canned tomatoes 4

Or other fresh vegetables not canned when they can be obtained
in the vicinity of the post or transported in a wholesome
condition from a distance

21

1

18

. 16

. 16

. 16

16

1

21

Travel Ration. This is used when troops travel by cars, or when they are separated for short periods from cooking facilities and do not carry cooked rations.

On arriving at their destination the ordinary ration is resumed. When traveling unaccompanied by an officer, each man may be allowed a cash sum per day for the purchase of prepared coffee in lieu of the coffee and sugar of the travel ration.

The emergency ration consists of:

Woodruff states that the travel ration is insufficient for men in very active service. The ration is planned for healthy men and in order to make allowance for those who fall sick, the money value of the ration is given to the surgeon, who purchases whatever diet is needed in addition to certain articles, such as condensed milk and beef-extract, issued by the medical department.

Concerning the selection of a ration Woodruff says: "An army must be fed at a great distance from the market, and it is therefore evident the chief objects in view in the selection of the soldier's food must be facility of transportation and ease of preservation in all climates. Articles that are bulky or easily damaged by rough handling, and those that are not easily preserved from decay, are at once ruled out. It need scarcely be mentioned that the articles must be produced in abundance throughout the country, neither imported nor the particular preparations of a few manufacturers. Couple with this the fact that the articles must be so inexpensive as to refute any charges of extravagance, and it will be readily understood that with a few exceptions the ration contains about all the articles that it is possible to put in at present without calling on foods that are preserved, canned, or otherwise specially prepared."

For the reasons just stated Woodruff says that the soldier's ration has always been simple and dry. There was but little change in the army ration until recent years. In arranging the ration for an army there are a number of matters that require careful consideration. An army in a cold climate can not thrive on the same diet that an army in the tropics would do well on, and vice versa. In a cold climate any article that will be spoiled by freezing must be eliminated from the dietary. This excludes potatoes, fresh vegetables, canned goods that are in fluid form, and the like.

The subject of diet for soldiers in the tropics is one of great interest. Food that excessive heat will spoil or that can not