68 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Jury, 1898. 
—let me mention it with some shame—the preserved vegetables the English 
troops took with them in the last Ashantee expedition were preserved in a 
German factory, where the meat extract is “strengthened,” literally, to-day by 
the addition of vegetables, peameal, &c., and made into appetising and 
sustaining soups. Thus, to-day Liebig’s idea is being carried out, and now the 
German soldier is supplied with his meat extract separately, and his pesmeal 
and bacon fat and nitrogenous vegetables to put in it. Vegetable albumen, in 
fact, is supplied separately to the soldier to put in his extract. At the same 
time, even “ extract’ with the vegetable albuminoids is not equal to the meat . 
from which the extract is got as a life-sustaining dict. n> 
The exact action of the extract alone is perhaps more that of a useful 
stimulant, and it is in its development in this direction that there seems to be 
very great opportunities for its extended use. Its physiological action is not 
pertectly understood, but seems to be akin to that of the action of the 
alkaloids of tea and coffee. The lowest and latest mixture—a bouillon made 
from “ extractum carnis’’—is retailed to-day at 6d., and the purchaser is obliged 
to take more than he requires for one cup or for a single person. In a 
ready, suitable, neat, and clean form the sale of extract of beef in small 
quantities sufficient for three-quarters of a cup of hot water should be a 
successful rival of the popular “ pint of four ale.” The extract is, in fact, a 
substitute for flesh when taken with suitable accompaniments, the best of 
which, I should imagine, would be whole-meal bread, in which the wheat is 
not robbed of its vegetable albuminoid gluten, as too much of the fine flour 
is to-day. Popular as are the preparations of extract on the market, we can 
yet imagine what a wonderful demand might be created if the minds of the 
people became accustomed to use them, and had them placed before them in 
small cheap quantities that could be prepared even more quickly as a beverage 
than the dreadful decoctions of our railway refreshment rooms and restaurants 
called tea and coffee. 
Jf the preparations of meat extract on the market are not legion, they 
are at least a battalion; and I may roughly divide them into four great 
-sections:—(1) Extracts by the Liebig process, or modifications ot it; 
(2) boutllons ; (8) jellies; (4) juices. 
Of the first we have Liebig’s Extract Company—‘ Liebig,” blue signature ; 
“Ramornie’”’ Liebig; “ Tooth’s” Liebig; Baron Liebeg, photograph brand ; 
“ Brand’s” Liebig ; Cybels; Armour’s Extract (Chicago), modification of the 
Liebig process, whilst many large wholesale grocers and warehousemen put up 
the extract under their own names, and these are all on the Liebig system. 
The second class we may call flavoured and medicated solutions, such as 
Bovril, Vimbos, Borthwick’s bowdilon, Oxine.. It is claimed for these that 
there has been restored to the extract some of the albuminoids that coagula- 
tion and straining have robbed it of. These are more of foods, but not so 
stimulating as the Liebig, because not so condensed, In the case of Oxine it 
is also claimed by the makers that vegetable matter is added. 
The third class, the jellies. ‘These are made by boiling down the 
gelatinous parts of meat, as well as the lean meat, until a jelly is formed, and 
this in many cases is fortified by the addition of the extract. In this class 
(jellies) the well-known Brand’s essence of beef might be included. 
There are also a number of meat juices, under the names of Armour’s, 
Brand’s, and Valentine’s. The colour of this juice is reddish, which shows 
that in the preparation it has not been subjected to great heating. The makers 
claim special methods of manufacture. In some cases the lean raw meat is 
taken and minced, and an equal volume of water added; it is then squeezed 
under great pressure, and strained. ‘The juice is then frozen, the water in it 
freezing out first, the excess of water being separated by a special process. 
These are the only four classes of meat extract, and I may say of the first 
three of them that extract of meat is the basis of all. The popularising of - 
these essences, bouillons, Bovrils, and Vimbos, &c., means that there is an 
increasing demand for extract. There are some “soup squares” made, but 
