Camping and woodcraft - Scoutmastercg.com

'i8oCAMPING AND WOODCRAFTdisease. Anyone can observe for himself the evileffects of a diet poor in protein but rich in heatingpower by traveling through our " hog and hominybelt." Fat pork contains hardly any protein;neither do the cabbage and potatoes that usuallyflank it on the negro's or poor-white's table. Asfor corn bread, when made as a plain hoecake orthe like, it is in much the same class, and whatprotein it does contain is difficult to digest.On the other hand, an undue proportion of leanmeat, fish, dried beans, and other high-proteid foods,brings another train of ills. As Dr. Atwater says,"A dog can live on lean meat: he can convert itsmaterial into muscle and its energy into heat andmuscular power. Man can do the same; but sucha one-sided diet would not be best for the dog, anditwould be still worse for the man."The problem of a well-balanced ration consistsin supplying daily the right proportion of nutritiveelements in agreeable and digestible form. Theproblem of a campaign ration is the same, but cuttingout most of the water and waste in which freshfoods abound. However, in getting rid of thewater in fresh meats, fruits, and vegetables, w**.lose, unfortunately, much of the volatile essencesthat give these foods their good flavors. This loss— and it is a serious one — must be made up bythe camp cook changing the menu as often as he can,by varying the ingredients and the processes of cooking.Variety is quite as welcome at the camp boardas anjovhere else — in fact more so, for it is harderto get. Variety need not mean adding to the load-It means substituting, say, three 5-lb. parcels for one15-lb. parcel, so as to have something "different"from day to day.There is an old school of campers who affect toscorn such things."'We take nothing with us,"they say, " but pork, flour, baking powder, salt,sugar, and coffee — our guns and rods furnish ws\^Jirietv." This sounds sturdy, but there is a dea^