226 



RECREATION. 



5 minutes sufficing. Then, when the hot 

 liquid used to thin the gravy, which may 

 be either water, stock, or milk, is added, 

 the particles of starch swell and break and 

 after a few minutes' boiling, the sauce will 

 be entirely free from any raw taste. In 

 cooking for individual persons with deli- 

 cate stomachs, it may be better to follow 

 the rule of blending the flour with the cold 

 liquid and then letting the sauce cook an 

 hour or more, but in preparing ordinary 

 meals, cooking the fat and flour together 

 seems the more practical way. A poorly 

 made gravy is unacceptable, but a well 

 made gravy is a useful part of any dietary. 



Every camp cook should know how to 

 make gravies of different sorts, as they are 

 welcome additions to the diet, while the 

 materials required are few and such as 

 are found in most camp outfits. Salt pork 

 and bacon, staple dishes in most camps, 

 are much improved when eaten with milk 

 or cream gravy. Boiled fish needs drawn 

 butter, and brown gravies are useful with 

 all sorts of meat and game. 



None of the dishes cooked years ago at 

 a favorite camp on Lake Champlain is so 

 distinctly remembered as a sauce made by 

 one of the best of campers who is to-day a 

 prominent figure in New York city politics. 

 This sauce consisted of onions, fried a 

 light brown with salt pork, tomatoes, red 

 pepper, and chopped olives and was made 

 after a recipe learned from some Spanish 

 cook. The belief remains firm that it owed 

 its excellence to something besides hunger, 

 although that is undoubtedly the most im- 

 portant sauce of camp life. 



TABLE RELICS. 



From time to time articles of clothing 

 and other personal relics of famous men 

 have come into the market and are quick- 

 ly bought by private collectors or by mu- 

 seums. Often a large price is paid for 

 something of no value in itself; at other 

 times the price seems small in comparison 

 with the re?l value of the article sold. A 

 writer in a current magazine discusses at 

 length the auction sales of relics which 

 have taken place in recent years. Especial 

 interest attaches to the articles which fa- 

 mous men have used in their eating and 

 drinking. 



Not long ago a 2-handled silver cup, 

 presented to Admiral Nelson by Lady 

 Hamilton and inscribed "From Emma, July 

 2, 1798," sold for nearly $600. 



Mementoes of Oliver Cromwell are sel- 

 dom offered for sale. Within a few months 

 an old English "Beutel" resembling a 

 military water bottle, mounted with 2 silver 

 shields, having a medallion portrait of the 

 Lord Protector and the royal t arms en- 

 graved on it, and bearing the inscription, 



"Oliver Cromwell, Lord Protector, 1653" 

 sold for about $420. 



The Malacca cane and the cream-colored 

 earthenware jug bequeathed by Shakes- 

 peare to his sister, Joan Hart, came into 

 the market in 1900, realizing in the neigh- 

 borhood of $775. This proved to be one 

 of the few lots of relics which did not 

 show an enhanced value as judging by 

 previous sales. Many years ago the jug 

 sold for $100 and the cane for $25, but in 

 1893 the pair realized about $810. 



Relics of Napoleon are eagerly sought. 

 At a comparatively recent sale a glass- 

 tipped drinking goblet, or tumbler, used by 

 Napoleon when traveling, was sold for $75, 

 about $4 more than a small silver teapot, 

 in an oak box, which was used by the Duke 

 of Wellington during his campaign, and 

 had a Dublin hallmark, and the date 1807. 



These figures suggest that the state lum- 

 ber rooms of the French government might 

 be profitably searched, since at the last 

 battue, at the one-time headquarter offices 

 of the Paris garrison, in May, 1899, there 

 were unearthed, in an old garret, all the 

 pots, kettles, pans, and moulds, comprising 

 the "Batterie de cuisine" of the officers of 

 Napoleon's Imperial Guard. All the 

 pieces were marked with the First Emperor 

 crown, and the initials "G. I." and would 

 probably command a considerable sum if 

 offered for sale. 



BAMBOO SEED. 



Bamboos seldom blossom and bear fruit. 

 In certain regions of India the flowering 

 of the bamboo groves is almost historic, 

 having occurred only at long intervals, 

 perhaps once in 60 years. It is said that in 

 1812, at Orissa, a general flowering of the 

 plant prevented a famine. 



The culture of bamboo occupies 75,000 

 acres in India. During the recent famine 

 in India, bamboos flowered abundantly in 

 several regions, and afforded great relief 

 to a large number of the starving popula- 

 tion. 



The bamboo seed most commonly eaten 

 is the fruit of Bambusa arundinacea, and is 

 called bamboo rice. It is about as largejts 

 an oat, cooks readily, and when boiled re- 

 sembles rice in flavor. It contains some 

 12 per cent, protein, and 74 per cent, of 

 starch. Judging by its composition, there- 

 fore, it must be considered a nutritious 

 food. The seeds, when ripe, are beaten 

 out of the bamboo heads, cleaned by siev- 

 ing, and then ground to a sort of flour 

 used for making a flat cake or bread called 

 chapatis. The flour is sometimes mixed 

 with rice, and poor people eat the seeds 

 raw, but they are regarded as much more 

 palatable if cooked. It is said that 2 wom- 

 en, in a day, can gather 8 pounds of 

 bamboo seed, which will yield nearly 6 



