558 
FOREST AND STREAM 
December, 1921 
HIS HONOR THE COOK 
THE SUCCESS OF ANY CAMPING TRIP IS DE- 
PENDENT UPON ITS CULINARY DEPARTMENT 
W. STRAY 
food of which all could cat with relish. 
Florida produces some of the choicest 
foods to be found anywhere in the 
United States, also citrus fruits and 
vegetables that are without equal ; and 
the Indian River district, through which 
the party traveled, produces the extra- 
choice, superfine fruit and vegetables of 
all Florida. The cook took advantage 
of every opportunity to procure fine 
foods, and the party fared sumptuously. 
Vegetables, of variety world without 
end, fresh from the fields; fish, of a 
score of choice species, right from the 
water; oysters dredged from an oyster 
bar whenever desired; clams (quahaugs) 
on almost any sandy flat; ducks for the 
shooting; shore birds to be had at will; 
quail on the uplands (twenty allowed to 
a gun) whenever the best shot cared to 
go hunting for them; racoons and opos- 
sums were stuffed with sweet potatoes 
and parboiled, then baked; these were 
declared to be very good food ; large 
shrimp, covered with a palate - tickling- 
thick sauce, were served on a bed of 
crisp lettuce leaves bordered with slices 
of ripe red tomatoes; crawfish salad 
made lobster salad seem tame in com- 
parison; terrapin soup was something to 
rave over and then dream about; soft- 
shell crabs (the velvet kind) from a 
crab-car trailing back of the scow; also 
turtles ; loggerhead, hawks - bill and 
green; the meat would be chopped fine 
with onion, celery and suet, mixed with 
moistened bread crumbs, seasoned with 
poultry seasoning and two well-beaten 
eggs stirred in for a binder; it would 
then be formed into a loaf and baked ; 
when served in slices covered with a rich 
brown gravy, made with broth obtained 
by simmering the turtle bones in water, 
and garnished with small baked sweet 
potatoes, this turtle loaf brought forth 
paeons of praise from those who were 
fortunate enough to eat of it. 
Pompano, the table fish par excellence 
of the whole country, could be had fresh 
from the water whenever net fishermen 
were met; an attempt at a description 
of the choice flavor and supreme quality 
of the pompano as food would be a 
waste of effort, for pompano must be 
eaten to be appreciated, and Florida is 
its natural habitat; bright lights, fine 
napery, obsequious waiters, dance music, 
add nothing to the excellence of pom- 
pano; rather detract from it, for, unless 
eaten somewhere along the Florida coast, 
right from the water and broiled over the 
hot coals of a hardwood camp fire, pom- 
pano has never been partaken of at its 
best, no matter how often pompano may 
have been eaten nor at what places. 
Scallops were gathered at low tide 
when the water was clear ; the muscle 
part was cut out, dropped into a bowl of 
pancake batter and then fried in deep hot 
bacon fat; there may be gastronomic 
REISING 22 AUTOMATIC 
THE GUN THAT YOU HAVE 
HEARD ABOUT 
It is the three-purt target ami small-game gun 
that shoots with deadly accuracy. 
Cleans from the breech — the correct way. 
Takes down in three seconds without tools — 
only three parts. 
Shoots inexpensive, but extremely accurate .22 
Long Rifle R. F. Cartridges— Lesmok. Smokeless, 
or Semi -Smokeless. 
Ask your dealer. He carries 
this nciv small game gun , 
or can get it for you promptly. 
Without tools. 
It’s in 3 pieces, in 3 seconds. 
The Reising Arms Co., Inc. 
7 Jefferson Ave., Hartford, Conn. 
MAGNUM 12 BORES 
LONG SHOTS 
AT WILDFOWL 
EFFECTIVE RANGE 100 YARDS 
A CUSTOMER WRITES: 
Dalbeattie. 
Dear Sirs: — The 12-bore "Magnum” I bought from 
you for shoo'.ing herons has been a remarkable success. 
The first shot was at a heron in a spruce tree — it fell 
dead and we measured the distance, finding it to be 
110 yards. There were 5 No. I shots in the bird’s body. 
The second shot, a day or two later, killed a heron 
at 98 yards. Since then we have had a number of loi g 
shots, which we have no* measured. 
Yours faithfully, W. II. A. 
Send for Illustrated Catalogue 
giving full particulars, with many other 
unsolicited testimonials. 
G. E. LEWIS & SONS 
32 and 33 Lower Loveday Street 
BIRMINGHAM ENGLAND 
Established 1850 
Sportsmen ! 
WANTED FOR CASH 
Old Numbers Forest and Stream, 
Bound or Unbound 
Files of Forest and Stream, old num- 
bers as above. Write me what you 
have and lowest price for them. Ad- 
dress: P. O. Box 3256, Boston, Mass. 
By JOSEPH 
Read Hunters and Trajpirs 
Life, a monthly devoted to 
Hunting and Trapping. 50c per year. Trial, Three 
Months. Ten cents. Money back if nqt satisfied. Hunters 
and Trappers Life, Dept. 22, Northup, O. 
T is said that food wins 
wars ; perhaps, but no 
doubt whatever exists 
that a competent cook 
is the most valuable 
and most appreciated 
member of any camp- 
ing party. The knowl- 
edge that palatable 
food, and plenty of it, 
will be provided three 
times daily adds im- 
mensely to the pleas- 
ures of venturing into strange places and 
induces a feeling of confidence that in- 
creases the joys of exploring immeas- 
urably. 
The camping party that lacks the ser- 
vices of a good cook is in for a most 
unpleasant experience, for only the pro- 
viding of food that satisfies to the full 
the craving caused by active life in the 
open will insure a satisfied party and a 
pleasant, contented camp. 
The experienced camp cook does not 
burden the party with unnecessary cu- 
linary stores, but relies to a great extent 
upon the products of the region traveled 
through to supplement the camp staples, 
and it is the results produced when using 
this forage that makes or breaks the 
reputation of the cook and mars the out- 
ing or achieves success for it. 
The female of the human race, when 
grown to adult size, who is a good cook 
and who cooks willingly and cheerfully, 
is the most popular member of any camp- 
ing party; while the helpless woman, 
who must have things done for her, is 
simply useless excess baggage and much 
better left behind ; and this applies with 
equal force to men. 
A CRUISING party of four men that 
left Jacksonville, Florida, in No- 
vember, 1919, on a three-room scow 
house-boat, with a small motor launch 
to tow the scow and a canoe to explore 
places not possible to reach in the scow, 
and to move along streams too shallow 
for the launch to navigate, landed at 
Fort Myers on the Caloosahatchee River, 
Florida west coast, June, 1920. For 
seven months the party practically lived 
off the country and also sold to the fish 
companies sufficient of the fish caught 
to defray all of the day-to-day expenses, 
including gasoline. 
The wonderful success of this ex- 
tended trip was wholly due to the cheer- 
ful willingness and culinary skill of one 
of the party who volunteered for the 
job of cook, provided the others would 
help, and help cheerfully, in turn. The 
seven months of close association and 
intimate companionship passed without 
a break or even a hitch, and it is only 
now fully realized that this was all due 
to the ability and sterling worth of the 
cook, who never once failed to serve 
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