m4 m iM^-ft.! l-Javy Etesiccateici substafl^.' wmmmm iV A' A ■••BX£ODuCHCO ^CPt^Q*? -**©' Surgeon General's Office '® tJec/icn, ■■ ■•■■*............................. I co ARTICLE. Quantity ann troy weigl 0) CO E "cd fa c in ed u - in — «-• to ~Zi 3 CO CO CO o Specific gr milk. Extract of Cows' milk half a pint, of the consistence water. of the conserve. 720 gr. 190 gr. 106 gr. 172 gr. 152 1,034 Conserve of milk, de Lig- water. nac. 640 grs. 32 gr. 218 gr. 340 gr. 50 gr. 1,040 Consolidated milk in cake. 100 grs. 4 23 62 11 Remarks.—The fatty matter from the cows' milk was evidently butter. That from the conserve appeared to be some animal fat, not natural to milk, perfectly white in color. The sugar from the conserve, was evidently, for the most part, cane sugar. 3 NAVY DEPARTMENT, May 6th, 1851. Surgeons Bailey Washington, George Clymer, and Joseph Beale, Gentlemen:—The Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, having requested the Department to detail a Board of Medical Offi- cers for the purpose of examining various alimentary vegetable sub- stances prepared by the process of desiccation in Europe, and used in the French and English Navies:—You are hereby constituted a Board, to examine such articles as may be submitted to you by the Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing. You will assemble in Washington on the 12th instant, and make a full report to the De- partment on the subject at as early a period as practicable. Very respectfully, Your obedient servant, WILL. A. GRAHAM. Note.—-Of these vegetables it is only known that the " Preserved potato " of Messrs. Edwards is at present used in the English service. REPORT OF A BOARD COMPOSED OF SURGEONS B. WASHINGTON, GEORGE CLYMER, AND JOS. BE ALE, CONVENED BY ORDER OF THE SECRET ARY OF THE NAVY, AT WASHINGTON CITY, IN MAY, 1852. FOR THE PURPOSE OF EXAMINING CERTAIN DESICCATED ALIMENTARY VEGETABLE SUBSTANCES, &C. Washington, June 24th, 1852. Sir : We have the honor to make the following report in confor- mity with your order of the 6th ultimo, directing us to ex- amine such dried alimentary substances as would be submit- ted to us by the Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Cloth- ing, and to make a full report to the Department on the sub- ject- We assembled in Washington on the 12th ultimo, and daily thereafter'until we completed the examination, which was made with great care and exaciness. The following articles were submitted to us by the Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing. 1st. Those prepared by Masson's process were compressed, were in the form of tablets of about four inches square by one-half inch thick, and covered with tin foil, and were as follows, viz: 4 tablets of Cabbages—Choux—viz : 2 of 5 rations, and 2 of ten each. 3 " Carrots—Carottes—of 5 rations each. 2 " Turnips—Navets—of 5 rations each. 4 " Julienne—composed of different vegetables for Soup—2 of 10 rations and 2 of 5 rations each. 1 " Succory—Chicoree—of 5 rations. 1 " Parsley—Persil. 4 " String beans—Haricots Verts. 2 bottles of Green Peas—Petits Pois—not compressed, of 5 rations each. I paper of Potatoes—Pommes de terre—in separate slices not compressed. 22 On each of the above tablets was the following in French : " Before cooking, soak for a half hour or longer in warm water, in a covered vessel." 2d. Those prepared by Gannal's process were not com- pressed, were either in bottles closed with corks and thick tin foil, not air tight, or in a covering of white paper, and were the following: 1 bottle of Carrots—Carottes. 2 . " Turnips—Navets. 1 Julienne—consisting of 10 different kinds of vegetables. 1 " Succory—Chicoree. 2 Potato—Tapioca Francais. 2 Bunch Beans—Haricots Verts Flageolets. 1 Cauliflowers—Choux Fleurs. 1 Mushrooms—Champignons. 2 Brussels' Cabbages—Choux de Bruxelles. 1 " Spinage—Epinards. 1 package of Cabbages—Choux. 1-2 " Parsley—Persil. 2 " Sorrel—Oseille. 1 " Beets—Betteraves. 1 " Onions—Ognons. 3d. " Preserved Milk," (conserve delait,) prepared byM. de Lignac, of France, three tin canisters, weighing each, in the average, 1 lb. 8 oz. 13 dr.; avordupois English, gross. The following is the direction (in French) on each can- ister : " To obtain milk, it is necessary only to dilute a part of the conserve with five times the quantity of warm water, and then to boil it." 4th. " Preserved Potato" of D. & H. Edwards &, Co., of London, 2 tin cases, containing 56 lbs. and 28 lbs. The printed direction for its use is, " to about three-quar- ters of a pound of the Patent Preserved Potato, add one quart of boiling water, stirring it at the same time; cover it closely, and to prevent chilling, the basin or vessel used should be kept hot; let it stand for ten minutes, then well mash adding salt, butter, &c, at pleasure." That our report may embrace all the information in our pos- session, in relation to these alimentary substances, and present the whole subject in the most intelligible form before the De- 23 partment, we deem it proper, before making a statement of o'ur examination and experiments, to submit an abstract of the valuable information relating to them, contained in cer- tain papers that have been placed in our hands by the Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing. No. 1. The first of these is a report (extracted from the annals of the Central Horticultural Society of France, 1851,) dated the 5th April, 1851, of a Committee of the Central Society of Horticulture of France, on the processes of desicca- tion, reduction, and preservation of vegetable alimentary substances, by M. E. Masson. From this Report it appears that there is established in Paris, at No. 5 Rue Marbeuf, under the direction of Messrs. Chollet & Co., a manufactory for the preparation, by the pro- cesses of M. Masson, of vegetable substances, with which the French Navy and Commercial Marine are furnished. The establishment consists of, first, a room for washing and picking the vegetables; 2nd, a large drying room fitted with shelves and sieves, for the spreading, shaking and turning of the vegetables during the drying, and supplied with dry air at a temperature of 35° to 38J centigrade (95° to 100° Fah- renheit,) and from which the moist air is discharged through chimneys; and 3d, a storehouse for depositing the dried vegetables. After this, they are subjected to pressure, formed into tablets of a certain size, wrapped in tin foil, and then packed in tin cases for preservation, and for sending away. Each tablet weighs 500 grammes, sufficient for twenty ra- tions of twenty-five grammes each, which, by cooking, regain the weight of 150 to 180 grammes, according to the kind of vegetable. Each tin case contains five kilogrammes of dried vegetables, sufficient for two hundred rations, and costs twen- ty-five francs—25,000 rations can be shipped in the space of a cubic metre. We would here remark that the French gramme is equal to 15tW "s *-l m <** o > S J o . a = o o — s * s 2**- • .6 .2 Name. x OS © c o 'go c 2" * u 2 c .SPS a) E ID £ o ►? £ £*£ S " ^•g Grammes. Cen. Fahr. Grammes. Deca. Parsley 20 35° 95° 35 m. 52 2 Chervil 20 35 95 35 53 5 Cabbage 248 35 95 38 630 Brussels Sprouts 130 35 95 29 440 Celery 125 35 95 33 445 Julienne 96 35 95 38 374 Colewort 104 35 95 64 374 Salsify 130 35 95 38 515 Spinage 135 35 95 39 462 The Committee are of opinion that all the above men- tioned vegetables except the Celery, might be used as diet for the sick and convalescent, and that the cabbages alone can be supplied to the rationed in the Navy for a relish, or in place of sauer kraut, and sorrel. They do not think that the cabbages can be given to the sailors as a dish instead of beans, peas, and faiols; for 53 parts of beans, 68 of faiols, or 80 of peas, are equivalent in nutritive matter to 100 of cab- bage perfectly dried. No. 4. The fourth paper is a Report, also, of a Naval Committee, dated Toulon, 25th June, 1851, setting forth the results of their experiments on seven kinds of vegetables, dried and pressed, eight months previously, by M. Masson's processes, and in the form of tablets, 11 centimetres square and 2 thick, and wrapped in tin foil. Stripped of the foil they were found perfectly dry, with the odor of the fresh ve- getables. The following table gives their weight before, and after immersion for 37 minutes in tepid water : 31 Before Immersion. After Immersion. Cabbage Spinage Celery Julienne Chervil Brussels Sprouts Potatoes K. Grammes. 0 120 0 124 0 120 0 119 0 067 0 133 0 100 K. Grammes. 0 760 0 846 0 520 0 630 0 280 0 610 0 465 Thus, the weight, from soaking, was increased 5 1-4 fold and the volume 8 or 10 fold, that is, returned to the natural state; the physical character, of which desiccation had de- prived them, reappearing at the same time. They all, when cooked, gave dishes scarcely distinguish- able from those of the fresh vegetables. The Masson processes of desiccation and compression offer to the Navy the double advantage of supplying the want of fresh vegetables, and of packing, in a small compass, a quan- tity of rations more considerable than that represented by the dry vegetables,; The conclusions of the Committee are, 1st. That the ve- getables, dried according to the Masson process, offer suita- ble food for the sustenance of the crews; 2d. That cabbages and potatoes can be introduced into the composition of the ration in place of the dry vegetables deli- vered for suppers and for meat dinners; 3d. That beans, for which the crews generally have a re- pugnance, can be suppressed, and replaced by Cabbages and potatoes; 4th. That, without proscribing peas and faiols, there would be room for alternating these vegetables with cabbages and potatoes; 5th. That the sauer kraut and sorrel can be kept up, reducing the quantity ; 6th. That the other vegetables, such as celery, julienne, spinage, should be embarked on board ship for the use of in- valids only ; 7th. Finally, that it is necessary, before modifying the ali- 32 mentary system of the crews, to subject to trial at sea the re- sults obtained by the Committee. No. 5. The fifth paper contains 4 Reports (referred to un- der No. 1), made by Committees appointed by the Minister of Marine, to examine certain of the vegetables dried and pre- served by the processes of M. Masson, with reference to their introduction into the Naval service. These Reports, an ab- stract of which we here subjoin, concur in attesting the good quality and complete preservation of these vegetables. 1st. The first of these four Naval Reports, dated Paris, April 15th, 1850, relates to the subject of desiccated cabbage, and the effects of immersion. It states that 160 grammes of perfectly dry cabbage, prepared about 15 months before, by M. Masson, were steeped in tepid water for 30 minutes, at the end of which time, being filled out to nearly the size of fresh cabbage, and their weight being increased seven fold, they were put into hot water, and boiled for three hours. Seasoned with salt and pepper, the Committee found them very good, with nearly all the flavor of fresh cabbage. The Naval Committee think that this cabbage might be used for the sailors at sea, not only as a relish in place of sauer kraut, but as a meal, instead of the beans served out for supper, and of the 60 grammes of dry vegetables given at salt dinners. The quantities to be given might be in the follow- ing proportions : As a relish instead of sauer kraut, ----__ 040 grammes, soaked cabbage. For supper instead of beans 200 " " do. For salt dinners, - - - 100 " dried do." The Naval Committee add that the expense of the dried cabbage is less than that of sauer kraut, and also of beans, which latter French sailors eat with very great repugnance. As to stowage, they say, it would occupy less room than sauer kraut and beans; for there can be packed in a cubic metre (29VW* English inches,) 400 to 450 kilogrammes of dry pressed cabbage leaves, which, when soaked, represent 3,200 to 3,600 kilogrammes of the fresh, which afford 16 000 to 18,000 rations, at 200 grammes each. ' The Naval Committee is of opinion, likewise, that the great pressure, undergone by the cabbage, must preserve it 33 from the penetration of moisture, and that its enclosure in wooden boxes, well made, and of a convenient size for easy stowage, would ensure its keeping. This opinion is con- firmed by the trial made in the Corvette, the Astrolabe; where a box of M. Masson's unpressed cabbage was opened after more than a year's cruising, when the cabbage was found perfectly preserved, and to be, when cooked, of a plea- sant savor and good taste. The Naval Committee conclude their Report with the re- commendation that there be placed on board of two large vessels, one of which should belong to the Senegal station, a quantity of these cabbages sufficient for trial, and for deter- mining, at the same time, if the amount of water required for cooking this new aliment is in relation with the resources of the vessels. 2d. The second of the above mentioned Naval Reports is dated Paris, the 11th day of February, 1851. It states the results of three trials, by the Committee, on a box of M. Masson's unpressed cabbage, which had been nearly four years on board the Astrolabe in the La Plata. The box was of tin, set in one of wood. It was 31 centimetres long, 15 broad, and 16 high, and contained 785 grammes of unpressed dried cabbage. The cabbage appeared quite dry, and was yellow, and of a sourish smell. In the first trial, 250 grammes, soaked for an hour in warm water and drained, weighed 1250 grammes, and, after an hour's boiling, weighed 1600 grammes. The sourish smell, which had been increased by the soaking, disappeared en- tirely on boiling. The boiled cabbage had a perfectly natural and agreeable taste, but was hard and little cooked, attributed to the water of immersion having, perhaps, been too warm, and to the boiling's having been for only an hour. In the second trial, 200 grammes, steeped for an hour in water exactly tepid, gave 1050 grammes, which a two hours' boiling increased to 1300 grammes. Dressed with butter and lard, they made an excellent dish; the cabbage being very well cooked, the large stalks alone being rather hard. In the third trial, 100 grammes, cooked, for at least three hours, in weak broth, differed scarcely perceptibly from fresh cabbage. 34 From these trials, the Naval Committee draw the follow- ing results, viz.:— . , 1st M. Masson's process succeeds in preserving dried cab- bage for nearly four years, provided that it be packed, without pressure, in a metal box hermetically closed. 2d. The immersion in tepid water, for one hour, cau'ses the absorption of much liquid, and the swelling of parts ol the vegetables, which resume their original form and con- sistence. 3d. The cooking should be continued for two or three hours. 1th. The vegetable when cooked, weighs about six and a half times as much as when dry. 5th. Properly cooked it has given satisfactory results, having a pleasant taste, much like that of the fresh cabbage. The Committee remark that the bulk of this unpressed dried cabbage is much too great for them to recommend its use on ship board. They are aware, however, that M. Mas- son proposes to subject to the hydraulic pressure quantities of the dried cabbage, and to form it into tablets, which in a small volume, shall represent a considerable weight. Whilst reserving, therefore, their opinion on this mode of prepara- tion and its preservation by some other means than in tin cases, they would not hesitate, except from considerations of economy, to recommend its general adoption in the Navy, provided that the advantages resulting from smallness of bulk, great facility of stowage, and the use of cases less expensive than those of tin, should not have been procured at any inju- ry to the quality of the vegetable. 3d. According to the third of the Naval Reports, dated Paris, 6th March, 1851, the tablet of M. Masson's compressed dried cabbage experimented on was 10 centimetres (3T97nnnr English inches) square, and 2 centimetres thick. The weight of the tablet, in its tin foil cover- ing, was - - - - - - 145 grammes. The weight of the tin foil covering, - - 015 The net weight of the cabbage, - - - 130 60 Grammes of this cabbage, immersed for one hour in water at 35° centigrade, (95° Fahrenheit) and drained, weighed 355 grammes, which, after two hours boiling, in- creased to 380 grammes; a six-fold increase after immer- 35 sion, and a six and a half fold after boiling. The taste wras pronounced excellent, showing that the dried and pressed cabbage of M. Masson retained the flavor and other quali- ties of the fresh. 4th. The fourth Naval Report, dated Paris, March 14th, 1851, sets forth that 200 grammes of "Julienne,'1 immersed for 12 minutes in water at 35° centigrade, (95° Fahrenheit) and drained, gave 960 grammes, which, seasoned with but- ter, pepper and salt, and cooked for an hour, made a very good soup ; the vegetable being tender and of a pleasant flavor. It states, also, that 100 grammes of spinage, placed for 20 minutes over a fire, in a skillet containing boiling water, and then drained, weighed 620 grammes—dressed with butter and placed again over the fire for 30 minutes, they found a delicious dish, differing in no appreciable respect from fresh spinage. No. 6. Remarks of M. Gannal on the vegetables desicca- ted by his process, with his directions for cooking them. The quantity of water and sap contained in a vegetable varies considerably with the kind, the part, and the period of vegetation. In order to preserve dried vegetables from changes of tem- perature, humidity, dust and insects, M. Gannal places the choice and costly ones in glass vessels, and those for the crew in boxes lined with zinc. As to the cooking, they should, with few exceptions, be put into cold water properly salted. The fire should be moderate at the beginning, and should not cause boiling until after one quarter of an hour. Cabbages should be steeped in luke warm water for two hours before cooking. Carrots and turnips should be steeped in salted cold water for six or eight hours. Potatoes, termed French Tapioca, should be thrown into boiling water, whether for soup or being mashed. A summary of M. GannaPs statistics is presented in the following table, in which the first column of figures gives the number of grammes in one litre of each vegetable; the 2d, the cost per kilogramme in francs and centimes; the 3d, the cost per litre with the glass flacon containing it; and the 4th, the number of rations in each litre. 5 36 A Litre is 6] AW English cubic inches. A Hectolitre is6,102A. A Kilogramme (or 1000 grammes) is 2 lb. 3 oz. Avoirdupois. A Franc is 18-J cents. A Centime is the 100th part of a franc. dr Grammes - Cost pet- Cost per l Rations in 1 Litre. Kilogramme. L tie. in 1 Litre. F. C. F. C. Julienne 500 3 20 2 80 24 Green Cabbage 1 05 Red Cabbage 1 40 .Milan Cabbage 1 05 Brussels Cabbage 120 3 45 1 20 4 Cauliflower 200 4 15 2 20 4 Green Peas 600 4 00 24 French Tapioca 500 30 10 Turnips 160 1 75 6 00 31 Suecory 180 2 00 1 40 4 Spinage 160 1 80 1 65 Sorrel 160 1 80 1 65 3*T 7 Carrots 350 2 05 80 String Beans 7 60 Flageolet Beans j 860 1 40 8 Pumpkin 250 j 1 00 1 15 Beets 2 00 Mushrooms ! J 5 00 The julienne of M. Gannal is composed often different ve- getables, and contains, in every 127 grammes, (a quantity sufficient for a soup for six persons,) the following, viz-— White beans 20 grammes, cauliflower 10, leeks 5, peas 20 celery 5, carrots 20, turnips 15, chervil 2, cabbage 15, and string beans 15. y None of the articles of M. Gannal have been pressed • al- though he expressed his intention to adopt that method with most ol them. I7th°"l«4QThyth E^ n 3 ReP°rt' d£"ed T°Ul0n> APril 17th, 1849 of a Naval Committee, on the subject of pre- ^T™ ("on*™ de Wt), prepared by a process in- vented by M. de Lignac. v 37- T'he milk, of the consistence of a soft paste, is contained in tin canisters, which weigh about 800 grammes each, and of which the tin weighs 175 grammes. On exposure to the air for 15 days, the milk lost 15 grammes. The Committee made several trials with the milk, by adding a certain quan- tity of it to four times its weight of warm water, and boiling- it for a few minutes, with the invariable result of producing a homogeneous milk, pure, natural and agreeable ; in a word, entirely similar to boiled fresh milk sweetened ;—although. in one instance, the milk had, before the experiment, been exposed to the air for a week ; and, in another instance, for two weeks. The Committee assured themselves of the keeping proper- ties of the preserved milk, by exposing two open canisters (from which part of the milk had been removed for the ex- periments,) to the air, for two and three weeks, respectively, with the result of finding, in both instances, that the milk continued in a state of perfect preservation at the end of that time. With such facts before them, and after unsuccessful com- parative trials with the "lait double," the Committee is of opinion that the "conserve de lait" of M. de Lignac is supe- rior to all other preparations of milk hitherto used in the Navy, and should be substituted in place of the "lait double" now in use. As respects the question of economy, the Committee state the cost at 6f. 50c. the kilogramme of the concentrated milk, or If. 30c. the kilogramme of the diluted milk, that is, 24|0 cents for 2 lb. 3 oz. 5 dr. of milk, of the ordinary density and richness. The concentrated milk contains, in every kilo- gramme (1000 grammes), 150 gr. of sugar, put in to pre- serve the milk. It must be remarked here that the Committee diluted the preserved milk with only 4 times its weight in water; where- as M. de Lignac directs 5 times the weight of water to be used in order to reduce it to the consistency of common milk. No. 8. The eighth paper is a Report, dated Nov. 5th, 1849, of a Committee of the Academy of Sciences of the Institute of France, in relation to a memoir of M. de Lignac, on the product of milch cows, and the fabrication of preserved milk (conserve de lait.) 38 The Committee state that M. de Lignac, with a view to assure the concentration and preservation of milk, without depriving it of any of its constituents, fulfils the following conditions: . 1st. He procures milk of excellent quality, obtained during the pasturing season, not employing that of stable-fed cows. 2d. The quantity of milk to be prepared at one time, is obtained from nearly simultaneous milkings, so as to avoid ex- posing it to spontaneous alterations. 3d. It is concentrated in a flat, shallow vessel; the depth of the milk not exceeding 2 or 3 centimetres (.78742 or 1.18113 English inches). 4th. The heat, applied for evaporation and concentration, is communicated by steam circulating in a double envelope, so as not to raise the temperature of the milk to the boiling point. 5th. 75 to 80 grammes of white sugar per litre of milk, (about 3 ounces to the quart) are in the first place dissolved in it, as an antiseptic and a condiment. 6th. The evaporation of the milk, thus sugared, is hastened by constant stirring. 7th. When reduced to two tenths of its original volume, the milk is poured into cylindrical tin canisters, containing each a half litre, or a litre; (nearly a quart) and the canisters are closed by soldering the covers with bands of tin that may be cut around so as to open the canisters without difficulty. The preserved milk, thus prepared, has already received the sanction of extensive use, and has been introduced into the Navies of France and England. From opportunities of comparing, at the end of voyages, M. de Lignac's "conserve de lait" with the "lait double," till then used in the French Navy, the Committee think the former not subject to the changes and decomposition which the latter undergoes. The "Conserve de Lait" is a paste, with the odor of boiled milk. It mixes easily with warm water, and, when boiled with 4 times its amount of water, it has the composition and all the properties of common milk boiled; so that, in tea coffee and chocolate, it would be difficult to distinguish them'from those containing common boiled milk sweetened The "Conserve de Lait," exposed in an open canister for 15 days, gave, on trial, similar results to those above stated 39 It appears from the above that the "Conserve de Lait" is susceptible of long preservation ; and it is hence, in the opin- ion of the Committee, especially applicable to the provision- ing of the Navy. The Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing states, in a series of "observations," with which he accompanied the submission of the above enumerated papers to the Board, that "this preparation of milk has superseded, in consequence " of its superior quality, all other preparations of milk, and " is the only kind used in the French and English navies " and hospitals ; M. de Lignac having the contract for sup- " plying both Governments." No. 9. The only remaining paper, submitted to us from the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, touching the subject of our Report, and requiring a notice in this place, is a printed pamphlet filled with testimonials to the excellence of the "Pre- served Potato" of Messrs. D. &, H. Edwards &, Co., of Lon- don. Of these testimonials, five are from the distinguished chem- ists Brande, Ure, Daniell, Paris and Taylor, who express the opinion that the "Preserved Potato" is pure and without ad- mixture ; that it may be kept for any length of time without liability to decay or change in any climate; that its compara- tive nutritive powers are to those of the fresh potato as about four to one; that the process for its preservation is, chemi- cally considered, the best possible; that it is a wholesome and agreeable preparation of the nutritious parts of the root, not distinguishable in flavor (when cooked according to the printed directions accompaning it) from fresh and well boiled mealy potatoes; that it contains all the nutritious properties of those vegetables; that it is well adapted as an article of food ; and that it is a very good substitute for the fresh root. Of the other testimonials, which are very numerous, many are in the form of special Reports required by, and made to, the British Government, by Surgeons of the army and navy, on foreign stations, many of them in charge of Hospitals in the East and West Indies, and all bearing, in the most ample and satisfactory manner, one uniform and positive testimony to the "Preserved Potato" as a valuable, nutritious, and agreeable article of diet to the sick and the well, retaining 10 all its original qualities without change for years, and being very valuable to sailors and soldiers in long voyages and on stations where vegetables are scarce and of inferior quality, and as having in several instances been found an excellent antiscorbutic. The rest of the Pamphlet is filled with testimonials from commanding officers in the military and mercantile Marine, all certifying as to the keeping properties of the "Preserved Potato," and as to its great value as an addition to a ship's stores, particularly on a long voyage. The "Preserved Potato" is packed in 1 cwt. metal cases, and is also supplied in 56 lb., 28 lb., and 14 lb. cases, con- taining, according to the Messrs. Edwards, in a concentrated form, the equivalent of five times those quantities of the vege- table. It is offered for sale at a price that makes the vegeta- ble, when cooked, as cheap as potatoes in the ordinary state. After this summary of facts and opinions touching the ar- ticles submitted for our examination, we proceed to lay before the Department a statement of our examinations and experi- ments ; in making which we conformed to the directions given by the preparers of the substances; and also, in order to ar- rive at the most satisfactory results, we repeated most of the experiments, varying the manner of making them. EDWARDS' "PATENT PRESERVED POTATO." The two specimens of this article submitted to the Board for examination were in heavy tin cases, well adapted to transportation, and marked with the quantity in each.— Printed directions for preparing the vegetable for table use and testimonials as to its value, from Brande, Ure, Paris' and a number of army and navy surgeons, and others ac- companied it. In the experiments about to be detailed' the Board have conformed to the directions in the strictest man ner except where it is expressly stated to the contrary According to these, boiling water, in the proportion of about two partsof water to one of potatoes, is to be poured upon 11 the latter; and, aftei being well stirred, the mixture is to be allowed to stand in a warm place for 15 minutes. Then mash the potatoes well, season with salt and butter to suit the taste, and the process of cooking will be completed. Dr. Ure has repeated the experiment, observing the propor- tions recommended by the inventor; but he states that it is preferable to employ three times, instead of twice, the quan- tity of water. Before proceeding to the trials designed to be made with this article, the Board examined it very carefully in the crude state, and found the samples taken from the two cases not to present any appreciable marks of difference. One descrip- tion, therefore, of their physical qualities will apply to both. When opened, the contents of the cases appeared in the form of small, rough granules, of a dirty whitish color, with specks of a black substance interspersed (probably the eyes care- lessly left in preparing the root,) and imparted a faint odor and taste of boiled potatoes. The taste, however, was more bitter, and the smell ranker. Intermixed with the larger grains were some smaller ones, and also a considerable quan- tity of powdery matter, which seemed to result from the at- trition of the larger granules. The contents of both cases were perfectly dry, and as free as possible from mustiness of smell. Experiment 1. Upon fib. of the potato, taken from the small case marked as containing 28 lbs. net, was poured one quart of boiling water. The mass having been sufficiently incorporated by stirring, the vessel containing it was covered and set by a hot fire for \ hour. When mashed, it had a dirty whitish color, an unpleasant earthy smell, and a disagreeable bitter taste, resembling that of the worst varieties of the yam. The black specks, alluded to in the description of the crude vegetable, were now very conspicuous, and gave a mottled aspect to the mixture. The consistency of the mass was about that of mashed boiled potatoes, but rather more watery. Seasoning with salt and butter partially removed the bad taste and smellr but left the compound still very unlike, and vastly inferior to, the recently cooked fresh root. When the pre- served potato, after being thus dressed, was further baked in small cakes, its flavor underwent great improvement, and as- 42 similated it much nearer to the vegetable as usually prepared for the table. Experiment 2. One quart of boiling water was, in like manner, poured upon f lb. of the potato from the large case marked as containing 56 lbs. net, and the mass treated as in the preceding experiment. The result differed in no respect from the former. Experiment 3. One pound of potato taken from the small case, was next treated with 3 lbs. of boiling water, (these be- ing the relative proportions advised by Dr. Ure,) and the residue of the process was conducted, as in the two former experiments, with no appreciable difference in the results. Experiment 4. The same quantity of the potato from the larger case, treated with the same proportion of boiling water, gave the like product. This concluded our experiments with Edwards' " Patent Preserved Potato." Judging from these results, as well as from the sensible qualities of the substance as it existed in the two cases, the Board have not been able to form other than a low estimate of its value as an article of food for the navy. Cooked in whatever mode, it was still disagreeable to the palate, the nose, and the eye, and induced us to think that the samples we examined must have been manufactured from tubers which were in a diseased state at the period of gath- ering them. It was evidently an exceedingly common, crude, and unwholesome preparation. As we are nowhere informed of the process by which the " Preserved Potato" of the Messrs. Edwards' is prepared, we can obviously form no opinion, in the absence of specimens prepared from sound and carefully selected roots, of the prob- able qualities of the substance if prepared from such roots. The article, as it was submitted to us, was so inferior in every particular, that we cannot approve it. 43 MASSON'S DESICCATED VEGETABLE ALIMENTARY SUBSTANCES. These are directed to be prepared for table use, by first immersing them in lukewarm water for half an hour, or in cold for six or eight hours, and then boiling them over a brisk fire, from li hour to 3 hours, according as the time required for cooking the vegetables in their natural state is longer or shorter. After undergoing a thorough cooking, they are to be well drained, and then seasoned with butter, salt, or other condiment, according to circumstances. They are said to be now fit for the table. These directions have been fully com- plied with in the trials which the Board made with the arti- cles of M. Masson. POTATOES—POMMES DE TERRE. The sample submitted to the Board was contained in an open paper, and had been exposed to the weather for a length of time. It appeared in transverse slices, with some of the eyes still in them, of a horny texture, and about a line and a half in thickness. The color was a dull yellow, the odor faint, and the taste mawkish. The fracture of the pieces was sharp and corneous. The specimen bore a decided resem- blance, in general appearance, to slices of the fresh root dried at a moderate temperature; though, in reference to taste and smell, the dissimilarity was quite as decided. It was in a re- markably dry state, notwithstanding the prolonged exposure to the air. Experiment 5. Two ozs. of the potato, after having been immersed in a pint of hot water about an hour, had swollen a little and become softer, though still quite tough and leathery. The water was somewhat discolored, and had, in a slight degree, the odor and taste of raw potatoes. When drained, they were found to weigh 3A ozs., and the water left from immersion to measure 13 ozs. To the water of im- mersion was added a sufficiency of fresh water of the tem- perature of the air to make a pint. In this the potatoes were boiled for an hour; at the end of which time the pieces were found still distinct, and could, with difficulty, be mashed into a homogeneous mass. They were much charred, and ad- 6 44 hered to the sides of the vessel used in cooking; this not pro- ceeding from anv neglect on our part to watch the process, but from the quantity of water being too small. Notwith- standing this unfavorable termination of the experiment, the general appearance, odor, and, in a less degree, the taste, of the substance somewhat resembled those of roasted potatoes. The weight was 3 ozs. Experiment 6. The same quantity, immersed in 1 pint of water at 65° F., was found at the end of 2i hours, hard, leathery, and but slightly swelled. The water of immersion retained scarcely any distinctive character; it measured 14 ozs. The potatoes, when well drained, weighed 3tV ozs. They were next boiled 1 hour in two pints of water, (including that used in immersion;) and, at the end of the process, it was found that the whole of the water had been dissipated. Their weight was 7 ozs. All of the pieces were separate; and some could not be reduced to the consistency of mashed potatoes. That portion which was susceptible of being mashed, was seasoned with butter and salt. It then tasted, smelt, and looked precisely like the uncharred portions of the first product. The taste of this substance, prepared in both ways, was disagreeable in a marked degree. This, coupled with its bulkiness, forbids the introduction of the article into the navy for the subsistence of the men; though, in the opinion of the Board, it is far from being so bad a preparation as the speci- mens of potato, submitted to us5 of the Messrs. Edwards. CABBAGE—CHOUX. Experiment 7. A tablet of 5 rations, in good condition and perfectly free from moisture. On removing the tin foil in which it was wrapped, the tablet was found to be composed of the closely compressed leaves and stems of the plant. On breaking it open, the interior exhaled a pleasant aromatic odor, and had, when chewed, a sweetish mucilaginous taste; both resembling those of fresh cabbage. The color of the leaves was dull yellow, mingled with a bright green; and, be- ing in a fine state of preservation, with their veins and nerves quite distinct, they looked very much like the fresh vegetable. The tablet measured 4 inches square by f in thickness, and weighed 4rV ozs. net. This was immersed, after having been ■15 picked to pieces, for \ hour, in 2 quarts of water at 90° F. At the end of that time it was removed from the water, and suffered to drain thoroughly. It now weighed \x% lb., was swollen, and had become softer; but it was still tough, crackled between the teeth when masticated, and bore a greater resemblance than before to boiled fresh cabbage. The water of immersion measured 3 pints, and was of the color of weak brandy and water, with the flavor of cabbage, but more sweetish. Boiled in 7 pints of water, (including that of im- mersion,) it became necessary, in 2\ hours, to add two quarts of boiling water, to save the cabbage from being burnt. The boiling consumed 3| hours, and was done over a very hot wood fire. Drained and weighed, the vegetable went up to 1 lb. 13^ ozs. Still it could not be said to be cooked enough; because, whilst the smaller leaves were moderately soft and tender, the large stems and thicker leaves remained tough and leathery. In appearance, taste, smell, &,c., however, it resembled boiled fresh cabbage very much. The water left after cooking was dark colored and turbid, smelt and tasted strongly of cabbage, and was found to measure If pints. Experiment 8. Cabbage—Choux. An oblong tablet of 10 rations formed the subject of this experiment. In sensi- ble qualities and mode of packing, it did not differ materially from that just described. Its net weight was 7A ozs., being considerably less than the weight of two of the smaller tablets, although it was marked to contain twice as many portions as either of them. The whole tablet, well picked into small pieces, was immersed for i hour in 5 quarts of water at 90° F. When drained, it weighed 2tV lbs.; and presented the same properties as in the former instance. The water of im- mersion measured 6 pints. Boiled for 3i hours in 2| gallons of water, (including water of immersion and 1 gallon added during the cooking,) it weighed, when drained, 3 lbs. If ozs., was somewhat softer, less leathery, and altogether better done than in the preceding trial. The water left after cooking, amounted to 2i pints. Well seasoned with salt and butter, both specimens furnished a dish which evidently only needed to be better cooked, to be very palatable to those fond of the vegetable. It was clear, however, to the Board that boiling for nearly four hours over a most intensely hot fire, and the liberal employment of water, had not sufficed to bring either 46 specimen to a state which might be safely pronounced di- gestible. CARROTS—CAROTTES. Experiment 9. A tablet four inches square by one-half thick, containing 5 rations, and weighing 411 ozs. net, was next subjected to experiment. Its state of preservation was of the best; and it had evidently been kept quite dry. It was composed of thin slices, resembling the fresh plant m color, taste, and smell; but these qualities were all fainter and feebler than in the latter. The entire tablet being separated, and immersed in 3 pints of water at 110° F. for one-half hour, was found, when taken out and drained, to weigh 1 lb., to be much swollen, and tough, and to have the sweetish taste of carrots. The water of immersion measured 2rV pints, had the same taste of carrots, and resembled the serum of the blood in color. It was now boiled in 3 pints of water, (in- cluding that of immersion;) but two pints of boiling water had to be added before the process was over. In 2f hours the vessel was removed from the fire, and the carrots drained. They now weighed 1 lb. 9f ozs., and were not softened enough for use, though tasting and smelling strongly like the fresh vegetable. The water from cooking measured 4 ozs., and was sweetish, and of a pale straw color. Experiment 10. Carrots—Carottes. A tablet, precisely like the former in its general aspect,but weighing only 41t ozs., was, after separation, immersed for half an hour in two pints of water at 78°. It then weighed 13i ozs., and the water measured li pints. The carrots were less swollen and harder than in the preceding experiment. They were next boiled in half a gallon of water, (including that of immersion;) but 3 pints of boiling water were added before the conclusion of the process. In 21 hours the water had all disappeared, leaving the carrots better cooked than the first specimen, and manifesting most of the physical qualities of the fresh vege- table. Their weight amounted to 1 lb. 1H ozs. With sea- soning of salt and butter they made, for a vegetable not thoroughly cooked, a good dish. In neither case were the carrots as thoroughly done as they ought to be, to constitute a perfectly palatable and digestible article of food. If this objection could be removed by longer 47 boiling, or by boiling in contact with other vegetables, or with bacon, as it probably could be, the Board would pronounce them an excellent dish, recalling, in a high degree, the quali- ties of the fresh plant, and valuable, under many circum- stances, on board ship. TURNIPS—NA VETS. Experiment 11. Turnips—Navets. The subject of the present experiment, were in the form of a tablet of 5 rations, which weighed 5tV ozs., and measured 4% inches square by % thick. It was composed of slices, having a dull yellowish color, and somewhat of the smell and taste of the fresh vege- table ; the latter being perhaps rather more sweetish. Though perfectly dry throughout, it appeared to be swollen, as if the damaged condition of its coating of tin foil had permitted the imbibition of water; and it was certainly larger and more heavy than the tablet of 5 rations employed in the succeeding experiment. Separated, and immersed for half an hour in 3 pints of water at 110° F., it was found to weigh 1A lb., to be swelled, and to have the taste and smell of turnips. It was also very tough. The water of immersion had a sweet taste, high color, and measured H pints. After 3i hours constant boiling over a brisk fire in 6 pints of water, increased during the process by the addition of 2 gallons of boiling water, the turnips weighed 1 lb. 1141 ozs., and the water, left after draining, amounted to half a pint. The turnips were only tolerably done, not readily mashed into a uniform mass, and possessed the smell and taste of the fresh plant to a very limited degree. The water of immersion was of the color of brandy and water, but dirty. Experiment 12. This tablet measured 4i inches square by one-half thick, and weighed net 4iir ozs. It exactly re- sembled the previous specimen in appearance, &c, &c, and was moreover in the dryest state. Separated, and immersed half an hour in 3 pints of water at 65° F., it increased in weight to 1 lb. 4\ ozs., while the water was reduced to 1-ff pint. The water was a dirty brandy-colored liquid; and the turnips were still but little swelled and very tough. 3 quarts of fresh cold water (with one pint of hot subsequently added) were poured upon them; and the boiling kept up for 3k hours. The turnips, when drained, weighed Hi lb., and were tough, 48 fibrous, and incapable of being mashed into a soft mass. They retained little of the flavor and smell of fresh turnips. The water left from cooking measured If pints. It was a brandy-colored fluid, and had the taste of turnips. Neither experiment yielded an article fit for food. The Board, therefore, unhesitatingly condemn the specimens ex- perimented on, as worthless, in an alimentary point of view, for the navy. JULIENNE. Experiment 13. A tablet of 5 rations, 4 inches square by one-half thick, and weighing 4A ozs., formed the subject of this experiment. It was in the usual excellent state of pre- servation, and was apparently made up almost entirely of car- rots and cabbage, having a musty odor, and a mawkish and mucilaginous taste. Separated, and immersed half an hour in 3 pints of water at 90° F., it increased in weight to 22 ozs., was somewhat swelled, and had a strong sweet taste like that of carrots. The water of immersion measured, after draining, 2 pints, was high colored, and possessed a very sweet, rather disagreeable, taste. The carrots, though more crisp than when first immersed, were still tough and hard. Boiled in 7 pints of water, (including that of immersion,) with 4 pints subsequently added, it required 3i hours to complete the cooking. At its termination, the vegetables were rather soft, far from palatable, and still not sufficiently cooked. Their weight was now 1 lb. 9 ozs., and their appearance much like that of the respective fresh plants. The soup measured H pints, was of a deep straw color, and possessed the flavor of carrots. Whilst being in a measure palatable, it was decid- edly meager, and seemed to be little more than a decoction of the predominant vegetable. Experiment 14. A tablet of Julienne of 10 portions, 4 inches broad, 8 long and one-half thick, dry and in good con- dition, was next examined. Like the former, it appeared constituted of carrots and cabbage, and weighed 9| ozs. It had a pale yellow and green color, a mucilaginous, sweetish taste, and a peculiar unpleasant odor. Separated', and im- mersed for 35 minutes in water at 65° F., it yielded after draining, a dirty looking liquid, of a sickening taste, measur- ing 2 pints. The vegetables were very tough, and gave a 19 weight of 2 lbs. 9h ozs. Rejecting the water of immersion, the Julienne was next put into 12 pints of cold water, to which 6 pints of hot water were added during thy^rocess of cook- ing; and the boiling was maintained for 4 Wm\v< over a brisk fire. The product was a very thin pottage, of a pale straw color, and a repulsive odor. The vegetables were weighed, and found to have augmented their weight to 3tV lbs. The soup measured 4 pints. In both trials, notwithstanding an enormous expenditure of fuel, water, and time, the vegetables were not sufficiently cooked to be pleasant to the palate, or wholesome for the stomach; thus affording another instance of the great diffi- culty generally experienced throughout our experiments, in boiling the cQmpresserf alimentary substances of Masson enough to fit them for table use. The Board was so unfavorably im- pressed with the result of both experiments that they did not think it worth while to try the effect of a more protracted ebullition. SUCCORY—WILD ENDIVE—CHICOREE. Experiment 15. A single tabletweighing 4\ ozs. net, and found to be in good condition, formed the subject of this ex- periment. It had a herbaceous smell, a pale yellowish color, with green intermixed, and a taste, at first mucilaginous, but followed by bitterness on long chewing. The tablet, well separated, and immersed in 5 pints of water at 98°, became in half an hour much enlarged in bulk, had acquired a dis- agreeable taste and sickening smell, and imparted to the Water a bitter quality, along with the color of pale brandy. It weighed 1A lb. The water of immersion, after the plant was withdrawn, measured 3\ pints. The succory was now put into a vessel containing 3 quarts of cold water, and placed on the fire to boil. Before the 3i hours consumed in this process were out, it became necessary to add 12 pints of hot water; yet of all this only 3 pints were left at its termination. The plant was then well drained, and found to weigh 2TV lbs. It was hard, stringy, tough, tasteless, and unfit to be eaten. The Board are unable to conceive of any uses to which so forbidding a substance as succory, when thus prepared, can be applied on board the vessels of our navy, and therefore con- demn it as perfectly worthless in every point of view. 50 PARSLEY—PERSIL. Experiment 16. The sample used for the experiment was in good co^ption, weighing 3i ozs. net. It measured 4 inches square, by one-half thick. The color of the tablet was a beautiful apple-green; it emitted a peculiar heavy smell, and possessed a disagreeable parsley-like taste. It appeared to be composed of the leaves and stems of the plant. Sep- arated, and immersed for half an hour in 3 pints of water at 90° F., and then strained, it weighed 13| ozs , was acrid to the taste, and had almost the precise odor of the fresh vege- table. The water of immersion measured 2 pints. After 3i hours boiling in 8 pints of water, (including that of immer- sion,) it was found to weigh, when drained, 13 ozs., and to be still most repugnant to the senses of taste and smell, besides not being nearly as much cooked as it should be. During the cooking, it was found necessary to increase the quantity of water by 7h pints, to save the substance from being burnt up before its termination. The water, left after the cooking, amounted to 1 quart of a high-colored dirty liquid, offensive alike to the palate and to the nose. As for the parsley itself, it was hard and stringy, and had swollen very little for the large proportion of water expended in its preparation. The Board cannot express too unfavorable an opinion of it. STRING BEANS—HARICOTS VERTS. Experiment 17. A tablet measuring 4 inches square by rather less than one-half thick, weighed only 21 ozs. net. It was composed of beans easily separated from each other, of a dull dark green hue, faint odor, a not unpleasant taste, and in an excellent state of preservation. The tablet, separated, and immersed in 4 pints of water at 110° F. for half an hour, augmented its weight to 7i ozs., and had acquired the taste and smell of the fresh plant to a certain extent. The beans remained hard and tough. A dirty discolored fluid, having a raw mawkish taste, and measuring 31 pints, represented the water of immersion left after the drainage of the beans. The beans were now boiled for 2i hours in 7k pints of water, (including the water of immersion;) and, during the process, 1 quart of boiling water was added, with the following result: 12 ozs. was now the weight of the drained vegetable, which 51 had the appearance of fresh beans, but without much of their savor, and was manifestly not enough roolred Tha water remaining after the completion of the prqcess, measured 4 ozs., was nauseous to the palate, and was high colored and dirty. Experiment 18. This tablet weighed 2A ozs., and was found perfectly dry and well preserved. The tablet, sepa- rated, was immersed £ hour in 3 pints of water at 60° F., with the effect of increasing its weight to 6 ozs. The water of immersion showed, after draining, a measure of 2r* pints. Boiled in one gallon of fresh water, (that of immersion hav- ing been thrown away,) with the subsequent addition of a gallon of hot, the beans were found, at the end of 2 hours, far from tender, and quite tasteless. Their weight was now 1A lbs. The water left from cooking measured 2\ pints. The beans in both these experiments fell far below the standard of excellence claimed for them by M. Masson, and struck the Board as a very inferior, unmanageable article of food. GREEN PEAS—PETITS POIS. Experiment 19. 5 rations neatly put up in a small bottle well stoppered, and the cork covered with a thick layer of wax. The peas, thoroughlv drv, were somewhat shriveled in appearance, of a pleasant smell, and of no very decided taste. Their weight was 5i ozs. net. This quantity, after immersion for half an hour in 3 pints of water at 100° F., weighed 1II ozs. The peas swelled to nearly their natural size ; and, though still hard and wrinkled, they bore a strong resemblance, in sensible qualities, to the fresh vegetable. The water of immersion now measured 2\ pints, and had a mawkish taste. The peas were next placed over the fire in 3 pints of water, (including that of immersion,) and the boiling commenced; but before its completion, 5 pints of hot water were added. After 2\ h:>urs of brisk ebullition, the peas were found nearly done, and of a flavor which assimi- laied them closely to the fresh vegetable. Seasoned with salt and butter, they made a decidedly palatable dish. Their weight had increased to 141 ozs. The water left from cook- ing amounted to \\ pints, was very high colored, and of a sweetish taste. 52 Experiment 20. A sample, taken from a bottle put up i i the same mode, was ascertained to weigh 51 ozs. It differed, in no respect, from the former specimen. Immersed half an ho:ir in 3 pints of water at 60° F., its weight increased to 7i ozs.; and there remained of the water of immersion 2U pints. The peas were only slightly swollen. The water of immersion having been rejected, 3 quarts of cold fresh water were now poured upon them; and the vessel was set on the fire to boil. Before the process was finished, it became ne- cessary to add one quart of boiling water. At the end of 2^ hours of active boiling, the peas were found to be tolerably soft, and to manifest a natural taste, color, and smell. Their weight was 1 lb. 1£ pints of water remained after the cook- ing was concluded. The Board consider the peas, petits pois, to retain the physical properties of the fresh vegetable in a high degree, and (under circumstances where it is convenient to subject them to a 3 hours' hard boiling) as being an excellent substi- tute for the latter, when it is not to be had. GANNAL'S DESICCATED VEGETABLES. In the instructions laid down by Gannal, we have particular directions for preparing each of his vegetable aliments for the table. As the Board have complied strictly with them in cooking each article, it will not be incumbent on us here to enter into details. Suffice it to say that, for most substances he directs an immersion in cold water, properly salted for a period which is longer or shorter, according to the nature of the vegetable used, and afterwards a thorough cooking over a fire (at first moderate) for about 15 minutes. Preserved potato, tapioca Francois, requires no immersion before cook- ing; cabbage, an immersion in tepid water for a couple of hours; and carrots and turnips an immersion for 6 or 8 hours The various vegetables put up by M. Gannal were pre- sented to us in a good state of preservation. His finer arti- cles are in glass; but the inferior kinds are, as he states stowed in wooden boxes lined with zinc. Part of those we examined were in bottles carefully corked, and covered with 53 thick foil; and the remainder in stout unglazed paper. In neither case did the moisture of the air appear to have af- fected the vegetables; none of which had been compressed. POTATO—TAPIOCA FRANQAIS. Experiment 21. This substance was in glass. It con- sisted of small, light, worm-shaped particles, having a farina- ceous, not unpleasant, taste, and a pale straw color. Very few black specks were interspersed through the mass, which was in an excellent state of preservation, being perfectly dry, and entirely free from mustiness of smell. The same sample was used in all our trials. 2 ozs. were cooked for 10 minutes near a hot fire in 10 ozs. of boiling water, with a viewto pre- pare the soup so much lauded by Gannal; but, instead of it, we obtained a species of mush, resembling mashed turnips, with a faint potato-like odor, and which made a very palatable dish when seasoned with butter and salt. Experiment 22 was undertaken in order to prepare the substitute for mashed potatoes spoken of by Gannal. Two ozs. of the potato were cooked in 5 ozs. of boiling water for 10 minutes; and, when removed from the fire, we found it much charred, adherent to the sides of the vessel, but ex- haling the odor, and having the taste of baked potatoes. In both these trials the quantity of water used (which was that directed by M. Gannal) was much too small to accomplish the object in view ; and, therefore, our results do not corres- pond with those promised by the manufacturer. The pro- duct, in both, was easily reduced, by pressure with a spoon, to the consistency of mashed potatoes. Experiment 23. The same quantity of the potato was next treated in the same way, with four times the propor- tion of boiling water, and yielded a mass more discolored than common mashed potatoes, but of about the same con- sistency, and of rather a raw taste. The granules were easily mashed. On the whole, this preparation was less palatable than the two former, where Gannal's directions as to quantities of the potato and water were observed. Experiment 24. (For Soup.) In order to give this substance a fairer trial than it appeared to have had in the trials where it became charred, the proportions were varied. •V of a pint of the potato, weighing 2 ozs., was boiled for 30 54 minutes wi 5 pints of water, which stood at 212° F., at the commencement of the process. The result was a thin mea- gre pottage, in which the still uncooked potato grains sank in a layer to the bottom of the vessel. The soup, so called, measured 2h pints. The Board did not deem it either a grateful, or a wholesome dish. Experiment 25. (For Porridge.) We boiled 3i ozs. in 3 pints of water for twenty minutes; at the end of which time the vessel containing it was removed from the fire.— An excellent porridge measuring 1A pints was the result. These experiments were performed with the greatest care; and, although some of them did not result as well as could -have been desired, enough was learned to give the Board a high opinion of the substance as a dietetic article. Of itself, a very neat and clean preparation, evidently made from the best selected roots, and possessing in its cooked state a flavor nearly approaching the fresh vegetable, its bulk is the only objection to its general use on board vessels of War. For the sick, however, it could be used with advan- tage as an aliment. In reference to its merits, when compared with the cor- responding articles prepared by Edwards and Masson, the Board are clearly convinced of its great superiority to both, and especially to that of Edwards. CABBAGE—CHOUX. Experiment 26. This was done up in white paper in the form of a thin brick, and gave a net weight of 1 lb. 9a ozs. The stems and leaves of the plant were in a perfectly dis- tinct state, and could by picking be readily separated from each other. It was very dry. The preparation had a feeble taste and smell of cabbage, was on the whole rather a dirty looking article, and resembled very much the dried leaves of tobacco in general appearance. Separated and immersed for two hours in 15 pints of fresh water at 98° F., it gave a weight of 5 lbs. 14 ozs.; and emitted a most offensive odor. The water of immerdon, left after the draining of the cab- bage, measured 10$ pints. The cabbage was now put to boil in 9 quarts of cold water (throwing away that of immer- sion,) and to this was afterwards added i gallon. For 4£ hours a most active cooking was kept up over an intensely 55 hot fire. Deeming it use'ess to persist longer, the cabbage was then taken from the fire and drained. Its weight had increased to 9 lbs. The water left after cooking measured 7| pints. The cabbage appeared to be sufficiently boiled, but it was tasteless and totally unfit to be eaten. The Board condemned it as a worthless article. CARROTS—CAROTTES. Experiment 27. These were in glass, were free from moisture and were otherwise apparently in the best condition. The mode of putting them up was perfectly unexceptionable, being contained in a bottle well corked, and covered with foil. They were in separate long slices, and had very much the color, taste, &c, of the recent plant. 1 pint weighing 4A ozs., immersed for 12 hours in cold salted water suffi- cient to cover them, was found to have increased in weight to 1 lb. 2iozs. The slices were considerably swelled, crisp and well flavored. The water left from immersion measured 1 \ pints, and had a sweetish taste. It was thrown away. Boiled for 2 hours in 6 pints of fresh water (at 65° F.when the cook- ing commenced) the carrots were then strained, and weighed 1A lbs. They were soft, well flavored, and, when seasoned with butter and salt, made a palatable dish. The Board consider it an excellent preparation of its kind, but possibly too bulky for general use at sea. If such an aliment were required for the use of the sick, the Board would think this preparation well adapted to the purpose. TURNIPS—NAVETS. Experiment 28. These also were put up in bottles, and were in good condition. They were in separate, long slices, of a dull whitish color, and of the smell and taste of turnips. One pint of these slices, weighing 3A ozs., was steeped for 8 hours in a sufficient quantity of salted water to cover them. When taken out they were found swelled and crisp, with the natural flavor of turnips. Their weight was now 13£ ozs. The water of immersion was of the color of brandy, and of a sweetish taste : it measured 1| pints, and was thrown away. The turnips, well drained, wrere next boiled H hours in 4 pints of fresh water (at 65° when the process began) until about one oz. only of a thick blackish sweet liquid was left. 56 After draining, the turnips weighed 1A lbs., and were still in distinct pieces. Generally the pieces were well softened, and easily mashed; but some remained tough and leathery. Their taste and smell were those of the* boiled fresh vegeta- ble. The Board deem them a pretty fair article. But the tur- nip is at best a watery and sparingly nutritious vegetable, of little value as food for man. JULIENNE—(FOR MAKING SOUP.) Experiment. 29. This was in a bottle, and was com- posed of 10 different kinds of vegetables, arranged in layers, and all in a perfectly dry state. The weight of the con- tents was 1 lb. 21 ozs. The whole boiled for 3 hours in 21 quarts of water at first cold, gave a soup of a very good fla- vor, and requiring but the addition of some simple condi- ment to render it delicious. The Board consider it a very fine preparation of its class. SUCCORY—WILD ENDIVE—CHICOREE. Experiment 30. This was put up in the same way ; and its condition as to dryness was equally good. It was com- posed of what appeared to be the leaves and smaller stems of the plant in a state of minute division. The odor was mawkish, and the taste slightly mucilaginous. The net weight amounted to 2A ozs. This quantity was immersed in 6 pints of salted water at 65° F., and found after draining to have undergone but little change, except in weight, which now amounted to 15 ozs. The water of immersion was high colored, and had fallen to 51 pints. The succory was then boiled for 1! hours in the water of immersion. It was found at the end of the process altogether too hard to be eaten, very unsavory as a dish, and, indeed, to have little more flavor than the most common weed. The water in which it was cooked, exhibited a very dirty and disgusting appearance, and possessed the same disagreeable taste as the plant. The Board condemned the succory as a worthless article. PARSLEY—PERSIL. Experiment 31. The specimen, submitted to the Board, was in a loose and open paper, but in a perfectly dry condi- 57 tion. It was composed of the parsley plant tied up into litde bundles ; the whole of which were gently pressed to- gether into the brick form. When chewed, the substance had a parsley like taste, and the smell of well dried hay. 1 pint of it, weighing 1 oz., was boiled for 2\ hours, in 4 pints of salted water (at 65° F. when the process began) to which was added, meanwhile, 1 quart of boiling water; and the substance was then deemed sufficiently tested. When strained, it weighed 4i ozs., and was far from being suffi- ciently softened or cooked throughout. It had a deep grass- green color, a most disgusting taste, and almost as unpleas- ant an odor. No water was left from the cooking. The Board infer from this trial that it is a worthless article for Naval purposes. SORREL—OSE1LLE. Experiment 32. This article was put up in thick white paper, in the form of a brick, with leaves of paper between the layers. It was thoroughly dry, of a dark-green hue, and had no particular odor or taste. One pint of the plant, weighing 1A ozs., was put into 4 pints of water at 65° F., and boiled two hours; when it was strained, and found to weigh 7i ozs. It was perfectly cooked, and had rather an acid taste. The water, left after the draining was finished, amounted to 1 pint, and was of a deep brandy-color, with the taste and smell of the cooked plant. The Board consider this specimen of the sorrel a tolerably good article of itself, but do not know of any circumstances under which it should be preferred at sea to articles of quite as easy access now in general use. CAULIFLOWER—CHOU FLEUR. Experiment 33. The cauliflower was contained in glass, and appeared to be in perfectly good order. It had the heavy, disagreeable smell, and the taste of common garden cabbage. One pint, weighing 3 ozs., was boiled for 1 hour and 10 minutes, in 4 pints of properly salted water, cold when the vegetable was put into it. This cooked it thoroughly. When allowed to drain it weighed 15A ozs. The water left from cooking measured li pints, was of rather a high color, and had the flavor of cabbage. p'8 The Board consider it an excellent article per se, but thai its bulkiness and expensive parvum in -multo form would operate against its general use at sea, except for the sick, and would limit its use for the crew to long voyages, as a preven- tive of disease. BUNCH BEANS. HARICOTS VERTS FLAGEOLETS. Experiment 34. These were put up in a bottle, and appeared to be in the best possible condition. The indi- vidual beans were but little shrunken, were of a dull yel- lowish color, without odor, and possessed the taste of the fresh bean in a faint degree. Their weight was 12A ozs. Boiled for two hours in 8 pints of salted water, (at 65° F., when the process commenced,) and over a moderately hot fire, this quantity of beans had increased to 1-i-if lbs. The beans had now regained the delicate hue and taste of the fresh vegetable, and were perfectly soft and mealy. In size and general appearance, they quite rivalled it. The water remaining from cooking amounted to 3 pints. The Board were very favorably impressed with the quali- ties of this vegetable when boiled, and look upon it as a valuable dietetic article for the Hospital [kpartment of ships of war. MUSHROOMS—CHAMPIGNONS. Experiment 35. These also were put up in glass. Their odor and taste were those of the natural plant, and their state of preservation good. They weighed 2-U ozs. Immersed for 10 minutes in 3 pints of boiling water, they became swollen, and increased in weight to 13A ozs. The water had been reduced to 2i pints, and became imbued with the odor of mushrooms. After draining, the mushrooms were cooked in 3 ozs. of olive oil, examined repeatedly, and, after a long cooking, were still tough and crude. At the end of two hours they became charred, and were not fit to be used for food. The directions of Gannal for preparing them were followed as nearly as possible; but they were very inexplicit. The Board could form no opinion in the case, (there being no other bottle with which to repeat the experiment,) except from the appearance of the vegetable before the ex- 59 periment was entered upon; and this recalled the fresh plant to a very fair extent. BRUSSELS CABBAGE—CHOU DE BRUXELLES. Experiment 36. In glass, and quite dry. This specimen was composed of very small heads of cabbage, having a deli- cate green hue, and rather a mawkish taste and smell. Their weight was li ozs. This quantity was boiled for 1 hour and 20 minutes in salted water; and, when removed from the fire, the heads were found quite done. Their taste was sweelish; but both this and the odor had a dash of the com- mon cabbage. Drained and weighed, they came up to 5 A ozs. The water, remaining from the cooking, amounted to | pint. The heads were scarcely increased by the cooking. Properly dressed, and seasoned with butter and salt, or a little vinegar, they formed a highly palatable dish. The Board are ignorant of any other use to apply them to in the navy than as dainties for officer's messes. SPINAGE—EPINARDS. Experiment 37. In glass, and in good condition. It is composed of minute, leaf-like portions, which have a pale green color and sickening taste, and an odor somewhat like that of fresh spinage. The weight of the contents of the bottle was 3^ ozs. This, having been steeped for two hours in 8 pints of cold water, and then drained, had increased in weight to 1 lb. 4i ozs., was of a beautiful grass-green, but retained the obnoxious taste and smell. The water of im- mersion presented much the same properties; it measured 6h pints. In this water the plant was boiled for two hours, and found to be perfectly well cooked. It weighed, when drained, 1A lb., and had improved in neither taste nor smell; but, on the contrary, was, if possible, more disagreeable than before. The water left from the cooking measured 3 pints, was of a dirty greenish color, and had a mawkish flavor. The Board rejects this spinage as utterly worthless. ONIONS—OGNONS. Experiment 38. These were in small pieces, and had been exposed to the air in loose paper. Nevertheless, they 8 60 were quite free from moisture. Their taste, smell, and general appearance were those of the fresh plant. 1 oz. was boiled in half a pint of salted water, (at 65° ¥., when the cooking commenced,) and, after the addition of 1 pint of boiling water, was considered cooked, in about li hours. The vegetables now possessed the sensible qualities of the onion in a high degree. Their weight, when drained, was 4 oz. The water left from the boiling measured i pint. Those fond of this bulb, pronounced this specimen of it delicious. BEETS—BETTERAVES. Experiment 39. These were composed of transverse, well dried, hard slices, with the color and taste of the fresh beet. They had been exposed to the air in loose paper, without injury. 1 oz. of them was steeped, for 12 hours, in equal parts of cold vinegar and water, just sufficient to cover them. When drained, they weighed 3£ ozs., and were quite tender. Their flavor and appearance were excellent. Experiment 40. 1 oz. from the same sample was put into 1 quart of fresh cold water, and kept boiling for 1 % hours. By this process, its weight increased to 5 ozs., and the vege- table became tender, and acquired the taste of cooked beets recently from the garden. The water left measured 2 ozs. These beets are a good and palatable article, well adapted, in the opinion of the Board, for general use in the navy, whether as an aliment, or simply as a pickle; though, in this latter respect, they are not superior to that now used in the navy. DE LIGNAC'S CONSERVE OF MILK. The directions given to prepare this substance for use as an article of food, are very simple. One part of the conserve boiled for a moment with 5 times the quantity of water forms a milky fluid, which is stated to be ready for the table^ without the addition of sugar. 61 Three tin canisters of " Preserved Milk" were submitted to us for examination. Their weights were, respectively, lb. oz. ds. 1, 8, 10,} 1, 8, 3, > gross; the average of which 1, 9, 10, ) is lib.8ozs., 13dr. When opened, the conserve appeared in the form of a semi-translu- cent, cream-colored paste, which emitted the smell of boiled milk, and had a very sweet taste. The paste was soft and ho- mogeneous, and looked much like certain kinds of butter. Its sugar crackled between the teeth, and obviously entered liberally into the compound. Experiment 41. 3 ozs. of the conserve, being treated with a proper quantity of water heated to 90° F., was brought to the boiling point as quickly as possible. Though the treatment conformed strictly to the directions of the inventor, the result was not satisfactory. The mixture presented the blue appearance of thin milk and water; it had some oily par- ticles floating on the surface, and was, moreover, pervaded by a quantity of curdy lumps throughout. Experiment 42. The same proportions were employed ; but the water was 100° F. at first; and the paste was assisted in combining with the water by the pressure of the spoon. On boiling a few minutes, we obtained a richer looking prepara- tion than the former; but there were still lumps of the curdy substance interspersed, though to a less degree than in the former trial. Experiment 43. In this instance, with the same propor- tions, (3 ozs. to 15 ozs.,) care was taken to incorporate thoroughly the paste with water of a temperature of 100° before setting the mixture on the fire to boil. By this means there resulted a milky looking preparation, which was per- fectly homogeneous in its composition, and displayed a large quantity of yellowish, oily particles on the top. Not the slightest trace of curd was now visible. The taste was very saccharine, and not a little like boiled cow's milk over-sweet- ened. After standing in a covered vessel for 20 hours, it was still sweet, with the odor of boiled milk; and there had risen to the surface a larger quantity of the butter-like matter. In the absence of any certain knowledge as to the precise mode in which the " conserve" is prepared, and well ap- 62 prized of the great extent to which the adulteration of milk is carried in France, the Board refrain from doing more than detailing the trials they have made with it, and the changes it has appeared to them to undergo, without ventaring upon any recommendation as to its employment in the navy, or elsewhere. The following table presents a synoptical view of the pre- ceding experiments, arranged in the order in which they have just been recorded: 63 TABLE. c a 'E •u Q. X O Article experimented upon. Weight before im-mersion,(Avoir-dupois.) S •s c • *^.2 £ 2 duantity of water used for immer-sion. Temperature of the water used for immersion. Duration of im-mersion. duantity of water remaining after immersion. Weight gained by immersion. Relative proportion of weight before & after immersion. | duantity of water used in cooking. - ■ Ckuawtity ef water used in cooking, being part of that stated in preceding col-umn. Duration of the process of cooking. - Weight of the substance after cooking. Relative proportion of weight before immer-sion & after cooking. O lbs. oz. drs. lbs. oz. drs. j ■alls. qts. pts. Fahr't. h. r a. qts. pts. lbs os dr. galls. qts. pts. gills. qts. pts. h. m. lbs. oz. dr. ------.--•----- boil'e Edwards1 1 .15 . . 1 Patent preserved potato. • 12 • ■ • • • . • 1 joil'g 1 .15 2 <« ■ 12 boil's 3 . . .15 • • • • 3 a 1 • • • • • ■ • " "' boil'g 3 . . . 15 ■ • • 4 ■ « 1 5 Masson's 2 3 6 1 110 1 g . ft • 1 6 1.69 . 1 • • 1 5 3 • 1.50 6 d 2 3 5 1 65 2 15 . ii • 1 5 1.66 • • 2 • • 1 . 7 3.50 7 Cabbage - - - - 4 5 1 5 2 . 90 • 30 1 1 1 .11 4.87 1 1 n ' 2 3 30 1 13 8 6.84 8 (< 7 6 2 5 5 . 90 • 30 3 . 11 310 5.00 2 2 : 1 • 330 3 1 12 6.75 9 Carrots - - - - 4 13 1 . . 1 1 110 • 30 1 tV -i 1 3 3.32 A 2 1 ■ 1 2 45 1 9 4 5.25 in i< 4 10 13 8 . 1 78 • 30 . i§ • 814 2.92 3 ■I 1 2 45 1 11 8 5.95 n 5 1 1 9 , 1 1 110 • 30 . n i 315 4.94 12 3 ■ J , 2 • 315 1 11 12 5.48 12 <( 4 13 1 4 4 1 1 65 • 30 . hi -i 5 7 4.21 3 1 \ • • 3 30 1 11 5.61 13 Julienne - - - - 9 8 2 9 8 ~ • 3 . 65 • 38 1 . 2 . . 4.37 2 1 • '!.• 3 4 . 3 3 5.37 14 it 4 14 1 6 , 1 1 90 . 30 1 . 1 1 2 4.82 *1 1 1 ; • 2 315 1 9 5.13 15 Succory - - - - 4 8 1 9 . , 2 1 98 • 30 1 H 1 4 8 5.56 2 1 1 2 3 30 2 7 8.67 16 Parsley - - . - - 3 4 13 12 . 1 1 90 • 30 1 . • ] 0 8 4.23 ( 1 < * 3 Hi ill . 3 1 1 12 330 . 13 4.00 17 String Beans - - - 2 2 7 4 2 . 110 . 4 1* • 5 2 3.41 (l • • 1 215 12 5.65 18 <( 2 6 6 1 1 60 • 30 1 i* • 310 2.53 2 ■ • 1 • 2 . 1 2 7^58 k 19 Green Peas - - - 5 4 11 12 1 1 100 . 30 1 i 6 8 2.24 *1 • • 2 2 30 1 14 4 5.76 ; 20 C( . 5 4 7 8 1 1 60 . 30 1 n • 2 4 1.43 • 3 • ■* • 2 30 1 - 3.05 pi Gannal's Preserved Potato - « 2 w 1 m n 212 . . .. . . HI .10 11 S 5175 22 << . 2 1 . . . A 212 h\ • • .10 2 10 1.31 23 «i | * 2 • • • .A f 212 m ■" • ■ •r • toil 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 39 0 41 42 43 Article experimented upon. Gannal's Preserved potato r Cabbage - - - Carrots - - - Turnips - - - Julienne - - - Succory - - - Parsley - - - - Sorrel - - - - Cauliflower - - Bunch Beans - - Mushrooms - - Brussels Cabbage Spinage - - - 38 Onion Beets De Lignac's Conserve of Milk ' including tbat of immersion 65 After we had terminated the examinations and experiments, which we have just recorded, on the various alimentary sub- stances, submitted to us, at the commencement, by the Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, he laid before us, for examination, A tin canister of Edwards' " Patent Preserved Potato," A bottle of the " Preserved Potato" of Messrs. Lewis, of Boston, and A tin canister of De Lignac's Preserved Milk, (conserve delait.) These we examined, and submitted to experiments similar to those fully detailed, with the previous articles. The sub- stances like the former, were carefully put up, and in good preservation. The canister of Edwards' potato contained about a pint. The granules were like those in the large cases, except that they were much clearer, lighter colored, and freer from dark specks, and from unpleasant smell and taste. Treated like the former specimens, they had a crude and foreign taste, and were pronounced, by all who tried them, to be "bad." Lewis' preserved potato was in the form of irregular granules, of a dull yellowish color, with few dark specks, and otherwise clear, as if it had been carefully prepared. It was perfectly dry, and had a natural taste and odor. Submitted to trials like those made with Edwards' potato, it gave a result of which we thought favorably, and which wanted, we may suppose, but the hand of the culinary artiste to render it an excellent dish of mashed potato. The preserved milk of De Lignac, which resembled, in every respect, the specimens before submitted to us, gave, on a repetition of the experiments, a repetition of results like those already recorded; forming, when merely boiled for a few moments, agreeably to the direction of the manufacturer, with five times its amount of water, a sweet, thin, milky fluid, filled with curdy masses, but, when carefully combined with the hot water by persevering malaxation with a spoon before boiling, constituting a homogeneous fluid, free from curds, and consequently richer than the former, and not distin- guishable in taste, smell, and appearance, from sweetened boiled milk, and, in either case, presenting, on cooling, a 66 superficial layer of yellow, fatty, or buttery globules. The only additional observation, which we made on this "con- serve," was the exposure of part of it to the open air for a fortnight, at the end of which time, it had undergone no sen- sible change; nor did it give, when treated with boiling water, any impaired result. With a result thus favorable, so far ns the sensible quali- ties, and the keeping properties, of De Lignac's " conserve de lait" are concerned, we cannot, nevertheless, depart from the reserve, before maintained, in regard to it, by recommend- ing, for either general or partial use in the navy, an alimen- tary substance, of the mode of preparing which we have no certain knowledge, which is readily susceptible of sophisti- cation, and of the genuineness of which we have no satisfac- tory assurance.* Having now concluded our experiments on the various alimentary substances submitted to us, we will present, in one view, the opinions at which we arrived in regard to them. Edwards' potato—" inferior." Masson's potatoes—" disagreeable." Do. cabbage—" very palatable." Do. carrots—"excellent." Do. turnips—"worthless for the navy." Do. julienne—" meager." Do. succory—" worthless." Do. parsley—" worthless." Do. string beans;—" inferior." Do. green peas—"excellent." Gannal's potato—" excellent." Do. cabbage—" worthless." Do. carrots—" excellent." Do. turnips—"pretty fair." Do. julienne—" very fine." Do. succory—" worthless." Do. parsley—" worthless." Do. sorrel—" tolerably good." Do. cauliflower—" excellent." * It is proper to remark here that the "conserve de lait," submitted to us, was re- ceived by the Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, from M. De Lignac himself, who was represented to him as highly respectable, and who has a contract for supplying the French and English navies. 67 Gannal's bunch beans (flageolets)—" excellent." Do. mushrooms—" not good." Do. Brussels sprouts—" delicious dainties." Do. spinage—" worthless." Do. onions—" delicious to onion eaters." Do. beets—" good as an aliment or pickle." De Lignac's " Preserved Milk"—"not recommended." Lewis' potato—" good." It will thus be seen that the only articles that, in our hands, proved themselves to be good, were the cabbage, carrots, and green peas of Masson; the potato, carrots, turnips, julienne, sorrel, cauliflower, bunch beans (flageolets,) Brussels sprouts, onions, and beets of Gannal; and the potato of Lewis. But the good quality of an aliment, that is, its property of being, when cooked, an agreeable and digestible article of food, though obviously its highest recommendation, is one only of a number of items in the question of its adaptability to the navy, either as an addition to the ration, as a substi- tute for some part of it, or as an article of hospital stores, and diet for the sick. Its nutritive properties, its keeping properties, its volume, the amount of time, water, and fuel required for cooking it, and, perhaps also, its cost, enter es- sentially into this important question. The determination of the relative nutritive powers of the various alimentary substances has long occupied the atten- tion of the chemist and the physiologist. Although their researches have not led to absolutely uniform results; yet the proportion of solid matter, which each article contains, has been determined with considerable accuracy; and there is a general agreement of opinion as to the positive and rela- tive amount of nutrient matter contained in the principal articles of food. Scales of nutritive equivalents have accordingly been made out, and will serve as a guide, in conjunction with our knowledge of the sensible qualities of an aliment, in estimat- ing its value as an article of food; ever bearing in mind, however, the fact, established by a host of experiments, that variety of food is indispensable to animal subsistence; that an article of food, believed to possess little nutritive power, may, in combination with others, prove highly nutritive; lhat an animal, fed on any one, even of the proteinaceous, and 68 highly nitrogenized aliments exclusively, will die of starva- tion ; and that a multiplicity and mixture of articles of food are necessary to maintain, not bodily vigor only, but animal life. The estimate of the nutritive value of an aliment is, in the absence of results derived from practical tests, usually based on the assumption that, in a mixed diet, which con- tains all the principles necessary for the nutrition and growth of the animal body, there is a relation between the propor- tion of nitrogen contained in food, and its nutritive quality. Though this assumption is apparently opposed by the fact that some highly nitrogenized substances, considered singly, are believed to be little nutritive, yet it is generally adopted by physiologists as affording the safest foundation at present known, on which to estimate the value of an aliment as an article of food. We will, therefore, agreeably to the standard usually ap- pealed to, and in the absence of more certain knowledge to guide us in the appreciation of an article of food, exhibit the results of organic chemistry in its determination of the pro- portion of the solid matter, and also of the nitrogen, con- tained in some of the most important of the alimentary sub- stances, followed by a scale of the nutritive equivalents which chemists have deduced therefrom. The quantity of solid matter, and of nitrogen, contained in 100 parts of the following substances, is thus set down by chemists, whose results do not, however, always rigorously agree with each other. Meat( 100 parts) contains 26 of dry matter, and 3.91 of nitrogen. Wheat " " 90 " 2.07 do. Bean " " 85.13 " 3.66 do. Pea " " 84.97 " 3.57 do. Rice " " 95.00 " 1.32 do. Potato " " 24.10 " 0.37 do. Cabbage" " 7.70 " 0.28 do. Turnip " " 7.50 " 0.17 do. Agreeably to Boussingault's scale of nutritive equivalents, 100 parts of wheat flour are equal to 107 " " wheat, 56 " " beans, 69 810 parts of cabbage, or 83 parts of dried cabbage, 177 " " rice, 138 " " Indian corn, 67 " " peas, 613 " " potatoes, or 126 parts of dried potatoes, 757 " " carrots, " 95 " " carrots, 1335 " " turnips. It thus appears that the turnip has little alimentary value; that ten lbs. and a half of fresh potatoes, or rather more than two pounds of the dried, are equal, in nutritive power, to one pound of meat; that dried cabbage and carrot have a higher proportional nutritive value than wheat flour; and that even the fresh leguminous seeds, (as peas and beans,) are much more nutritious than the cereal grains. In view, then, of the importance of a varied diet for the preservation of health and strength, and, in particular, for the prevention of the development of the multiform scrofulous diseases so incident to sailors; and in view, also, of the fact, fully established nearly a century ago, that the potato, in its cooked state, as well as in its raw, is a valuable anti-scorbutic, there is reason to believe that, to the three articles of vegetable diet, (flour, beans, and rice,) which constitute the only vege- table aliments that enter into the navy ration at sea, the potato, cabbage, and carrot, in the concentrated form in which they are now prepared and preserved, might be very advan- tageously added; not, however, for the purpose of increasing the amount of the ration, but to vary the diet, during long voyages, by alternating with the other vegetables. In regard to the third consideration, the keeping properties of the vegetables that were submitted to us, it is sufficient for us to remark that they have been in the possession of the Chief of the Bureau of Provisions and Clothing for nearly a year, and that they are, with unimportant exceptions, in a state of perfect preservation. Though we cannot speak from experience of the fact, we have no reason to believe that they would undergo greater changes,during a cruise in a hot and damp climate, than the biscuit, flour, beans, rice, corn-meal, coffee, &c, &c, that form the chief vegetable aliments of every long voyage. The fourth consideration is the space they would occupy. This objection certainly cannot lie against Masson's com- 9 70 pressed vegetables, in the compact form of tablets wrapped in tin foil, in which they are put up. Nor, in our opinion, will it lie against the beautifully prepared vegetables of Gan- nal, when put up in boxes with metallic linings, as proposed by him, when designed for the crew; whilst, if preferred, the more bulky and costly form of enclosure in bottles may be reserved for the hospital department, and for officers' messes. The fifth consideration, that wTe have mentioned, is the amount of fuel, wTater, and time required for cooking. A reference to our statement of the experiments will show that this was, in some cases, considerable; whilst, on the contrary, in the case of the potato, the cooking was an affair of but a few moments. The last consideration, if it be a consideration, which we think belongs to the question of the use of these dried vege- tables in the navy, regards their cost. To the degree, then, in which expense will influence the ration, it will operate against the introduction into it of any of these substances; for they cost more than its present vegetable constituents, as the following exhibit will show : Flour costs 3 cents per pound, for the navy. Rice do. 31 do. do. Beans do. $ 1 70 per bushel, do. The prices of the dried vegetables are set down as fol- lows, viz: Cost of vegetables prepared by Chollet &, Co., according to Masson's process. Cabbage, per Killogramim >,4 francs. Carrots, do. 4 do. Turnips, do. 4 do. Julienne, do. 4 do. Parsley, do. 12 do. Succory, do. 9 do. String Beans, do. 12 do. Green Peas, do. 12 do. Potato, (inslices)do. 1.50 do. Edwards' potato about 131 cents per pound. Gannal's prices are not believed to vary essentially from Masson's. (See table, page 36.) Lewis' potato will be furnished at 12* cents per pound by the quantity. 71 A kilogramme is 2 lb. 3 ozs. 5 dr., avoirdupois. A franc is 181 cents. 100 grammes, or 3 ozs. 8| dr. of dried cabbage would be more than enough for a ration, and would cost about 7\ cents. In estimating the cost of rationing the navy, however, we should not lose sight of the large amount of provisions an- nually spoiled in the public store houses, or condemned on ship board and thrown into the sea. If the dried vegetables, now under consideration, should prove to keep better than the vegetable constituents of the present ration, to the degree in which they will do so, will their relative excess of cost be reduced. It remains for us, in concluding this report, merely to re- capitulate the results from the specimens submitted, and which were received by the Chief of the Bureau in person from Chollet &, Co., Gannal, and Edwards, respectively. 1st. We condemn Edwards' "Preserved Potato"as posi- tively bad. 2d. Of Masson's vegetables, we found the cabbage, carrots and green peas, of good quality, and making after long cook- ing, excellent dishes. The cabbage and carrots were com- pressed, and covered with tin foil. Their compactness and good quality would, therefore, commend them for general use in the Navy. The peas were uncompressed; and though an excellent vegetable, they do not, we think, possess any very marked advantage, as a constituent of the ration, over the bean now in use, and so especially the favorite of sailors. 3d. Of Gannal's vegetables, the potato, carrots, turnips, julienne, sorrel, cauliflower, bunch beans, flageolets, Brussels sprouts, onions and beets answered the commendations of the manufacturer, and proved good in our hands. They were all beautifully put up, and made excellent dishes. Should they, however, be deemed too costly as parts of the established ration under ordinary circumstances; the potato, carrots and cauliflowers, at least, m ight very advantageously enter into the ration of the crew during long voyages, as preventives of disease; and especially would they, as also the haricots verts flageolets, form valuable additions to the usual hospital stores, and for officers' messes. 4th. Lewis' "Preserved Potato" we fo und good, though not so 72 beautiful a preparation as that of Gannal. It might, in con- junction with some of the former, be advantageously given to the crew in long voyages as a change of diet, so important to health, and as a valuable preventive of scurvy. 5th. De Lignac's " conserve de lait," we cannot venture to recommend, not knowing what it is. 6th. Lastly. We, therefore, respectfully recommend, with a view to test the applicability of any of these dried vegetables to the Navy, that a quantity, sufficient for trial, of the cab- bages and carrots of Masson, of the cauliflowers and carrots of Gannal, and of the potato of Gannal and Lewis, be placed on board of two or three of our national ships, to be served out to the crew, once a week, during long voyages, either in place of rice and cheese, or in addition to the es- tablished ration; and also that, with a similar view, they, together with the haricots verts flageolets, be added to the usual Hospital Stores for invalids, during long voyages. We have the honor to be, with great respect, Your obedient servants, B. WASHINGTON, Surgeon U. S. Navy. GEO. CLYMER, Surgeon U. S. J\avy. J. BEAL, Surgeon U. S. Navy. Hon. Wm. A. Graham, Secretary of the Navy. 73 U. S. Store Ship Relief, at Sea, May 27th, 1S52. Sir: In obedience to your order of May 3d, 1852, we have tested the qualities of " Edwards' preserved potato " during several weeks at our mess table, and have found them wholesome, palatable, and worthy of recommendation as a substitute for the common Irish potato at sea. We are sir, very respectfully, Your obedient servants, GEO. M. RANSOM, Acting Master. WM. H. WILCOX, Passed Midshipman. JNO. E. HART, Passed Midshipman. Lieut. Comd't H. K. Thatcher, Comd'g U. S. Store Ship Relief. U. S. Ship Relief, at Sea, 27th May, 1852. Sir: To the above, I beg leave to add that, after having thoroughly tested Edwards' patent preserved potato, I am satisfied that it is an invaluable article for long voyages, and I cannot too highly recommend it to the Bureau. I am sir, with great respect, Your obedient servant, HENRY K. THATCHER, Lieut. Comd'g. Wm. Sinclair, Esq., Chief of Bureau of Provisions and Clothing, Washington. i / 7 h ;f 6 6 £ I I '..('> ■Vi'V. .'.I. i V. * I