PURE AND IMPURE FOODS. 



" What a Man Eats He Is." 



Edited by C. F. Langworthy, Ph. D. 

 Author of ' On Citraconic, Itaconicand Mesaconic Acids," "Fish as Food," etc. 



CAMP FOOD AND CAMP COOKERY. 



When camping out, the food problem as- 

 sumes unusual importance. The appetite 

 increases and the base of supplies recedes. 

 This is especially true of the form of camp- 

 ing out which seems most delightful, at 

 least in retrospect ; that is, the camp where 

 each member of the party has his share of 

 the daily work to do and no work is done 

 by some one hired for the purpose. The 

 cooking is generally regarded as one of the 

 great difficulties in camp life, yet it need 

 not be. Personal experience has demon- 

 strated that it is easily possible to have 

 abundant and well cooked meals without 

 too much effort. One secret of camp cook- 

 ery is to avoid too large fires. Select if 

 possible a spot with a number of large 

 stones near together and have the fire in 

 the spaces between the stones. With an 

 abundance of fuel ready to hand, the fire 

 can be regulated to suit the needs of the 

 cook. With kettles hanging over the 

 fire, frying pans, a broiler resting on the 

 projecting stones, and a small Dutch oven, 

 if you desire hot biscuits, camo fare may 

 be truly palatable and not dependent for 

 its success on the traditional appetite of 

 those who dwell in tents. 



The selection of articles of food for camp 

 purposes must vary with the region vis- 

 ited. Many years of experience on Lake 

 Champlain indicate that for that region 

 flour, cornmeal, dried beans and peas for 

 soup, potatoes, onions, salt pork and bacon, 

 tea, coffee, sugar, rice and condiments, with 

 a reasonable supply of dry or canned fruits, 

 and some other canned goods for emergen- 

 cies, are among the essential articles. 

 Bread, milk and butter were usually pur- 

 chased from the farm houses near which 

 we camped or the towns we sailed past. 

 Vegetables were procured in the same way 

 Whenever fish would not bite or game was 

 shy, chops, steak or chicken was bought. 

 Even after the passage of a number of 

 years, the belief is firm that the resulting 

 meals were wholesome and palatable. 



It is a much less simple matter to pro- 

 vision a camp remote from the base of sup- 

 plies. In such cases game and fish may 

 sometimes be counted on, but this is not 

 always true. Professor C. E. Snow recently 

 read a paper before the American Institute 

 of Mining Engineers on the provisioning of 

 camps and expeditions where conditions 

 like the above prevail. The different con- 

 densed and evaporated foods and other 

 products which furnish a large amount of 



true nutritive material in small space were 

 discussed. Professor Snow recommends 

 that such articles be purchased as bacon, 

 ham, evaporated eggs, canned corned beef, 

 canned fresh beef and canned fowl, hard- 

 tack, flour, oatmeal, white beans, peas, len- 

 tils, concentrated tomatoes, tea, coffee, 

 chocolate, cocoa, condensed milk, dried 

 fruits, etc. Rations made up of such ma- 

 terials are suggested and the protein and 

 energy which they would furnish is calcu- 

 lated and compared with the commonly ac- 

 cepted dietary standards. In addition many 

 valuable suggestions are given regarding 

 general equipment and transportation shel- 

 ter, clothing, kind and quantity of medicines 

 required, and similar topics. 



THE AVOCADO OR ALLIGATOR PEAR. 



From July until late autumn a large 

 green or purple fruit, not unlike an egg- 

 plant in appearance, is quite frequently 

 found in the ' fruit stands in New York 

 and other of our large cities. This is the 

 alligator pear or avocado, so highly prized 

 in tropical countries. It contains a large, 

 hard pit which is acrid and of no value as 

 food and a thick layer of soft pulp not 

 unlike butter in consistency and of a deli- 

 cate and agreeable flavor. T^he pulp is 

 rich in fat, the fresh substance containing 

 about 10 per cent according to a recent- 

 analysis. The name for this fruit, mid- 

 shipman's butter, is, therefore, not alto- 

 gether unwarranted. In tropical countries 

 the avocado pulp is eaten as a salad 

 dressed with oil and vinegar or is spread 

 on bread and suitably seasoned. Some- 

 times it is eaten in soup. A particularly 

 appetizing method of serving is to cut the 

 fruit in half and fill the hollow left after 

 the removal of the pit with claret and ice. 



Alligator pears are a comparatively re- 

 cent introduction in our northern fruit 

 markets. They are raised to a considerable 

 extent in Florida and grow abundantly in 

 the West Indian islands. A few are grown 

 in Southern California. This fruit is very 

 palatable, and there is every reason to be- 

 lieve it will become as popular as it de- 

 serves to be. 



THE FOOD VALUE OF PEACHES, APRI- 

 COTS, AND OTHER SMALL FRUITS. 



In recent years the growing of fruits has 

 assumed great commercial importance in 

 many regions of the United States, espe- 



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