Democratic Sentinel, Volume 19, Number 42, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 25 October 1895 — Nature's Pottery. [ARTICLE]

Nature's Pottery.

One of the most peculiar vegetable products of Brasil is the Moqullea uti ls, or pottery tree. This tree attains a height of 100 feet, and has a very slender trunk, which seldom exceeds a foot in diameter at the base. The wood is exceedingly hard, and contains a very large amount of silica, but not so much as does the bark, which is largely employed as a source of silica for the of pottery. In preparing the bark for the potter’s use It is burned, and the residue is then pulverized and mixed with clay In the proper proportion. With an equal quantity of the two ingredients a superior quality of earthenware is produced. This is very durable, and is capable of withstanding any amount of heat The natives employ it for all kinds of culinary purposes. When fresh the bark cuts like soft sandstone, and the presence of the be readily ascertained by grinding a piece of the bark between the teeth. When dry it is generally brittle, though sometimes difficult to break. After being burned it can not if of good quality, be broken up between the fingers, a mortar and pestle being required to crush it—Public Opinion.