A RANCHMAN'S RECOLLECTIONS 



salted meat was vital in his work, and that he must 

 have it. The order was filled, and canned roast 

 beef or boiled beef came back permanently into the 

 ration of the American Army. The only difference 

 in the product was that instead of meat boiled in 

 great quantities and compressed, it is packed in as 

 few pieces to the can as possible. It is the same 

 meat and represents the same general character of 

 preparation, but the public does not know it. There 

 have been no headlines of vindication and the taint 

 on the packers still stands, except in so far as it has 

 been forgotten. 



The commissary of the United States Army began 

 to build upon its Spanish-American War experience. 

 The obsolete short, clear bacon side was supplanted 

 by bacon bellies, clear of seed, put down green under 

 inspection, examined several times in the process 

 of curing, shrunk specially when smoked, prime in 

 every respect, canned for warm climates. It is nota- 

 ble that no word of complaint has at any time been 

 voiced in the public press as to the commissary 

 work of the recent war, nor would this article be 

 complete without my speaking of the wonderful re- 

 sponse which packers, great and small, and the live 

 stock industry at large, gave to the country's call 

 to feed not only our own boys but the armies and 

 peoples of the allied world. There is no regret; the 

 whole industry from producer to packer would re- 

 spond just as quickly again, but the whole industry 



[68] 



