SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
349 
anything, is handier than lard to fry things with, does 
just as well to shorten bread or biscuits, is very nutri- 
tious, and nearly everybody likes it. Take it with you 
from home, for you can seldom buy it away from rail- 
road towns. Get the boneless, in 5 to 8 pound flitches. 
Let canned bacon alone; it lacks flavor and costs more 
than it is worth. A little mould on the outside of a 
flitch does no harm, but reject bacon that is soft and 
watery, or with yellow fat, or with brownish or black 
spots in the lean. 
“Smoked Ham — Small ones generally are tough and 
too salty. Hard to keep in warm or damp weather; 
moulds easily. Is attractive to blow-flies, which quickly 
fill it with ‘skippers’ if they can get at it. If kept in a 
cheesecloth bag and hung in a cool, airy place a ham 
will last until eaten up and will be relished. Ham will 
keep, even in warm weather, if packed in a stout paper 
bag so as to exclude flies. It will keep indefinitely if 
sliced, boiled or fried and put up in tins with melted 
lard poured over it to keep out air. * * * 
“Canned Soups — These are wholesome enough, but 
their fluid kinds are very bulky for their meager nutri- 
tive value. However, a few cans of consomme are fine 
for ‘stock’ in camp soups or stews, and invaluable in 
case of sickness. Here, as in canned meat, avoid the 
country grocery kind. 
“Condensed Soups — Soup powders are a great help 
in time of trouble — but don’t rely on them, for a full 
meal. There are some that are complete in themselves 
and require nothing but 15 to 20 minutes’ cooking; 
others take longer, and demand (in small type on the 
label) the addition of ingredients that generally you 
haven’t got. Try various brands at home till you find 
what you like. 
“Cured Fish — Shredded codfish and smoked halibut, 
