John l mason biography
John l mason biography children...
John Landis Mason
American tinsmith and inventor
John Landis Mason (c.
John l mason biography
in Vineland, New Jersey – February 26, ) was an American tinsmith and the patentee of the metal screw-on lid for antique fruit jars commonly known as Mason jars. Many such jars were printed with the line "Mason's Patent Nov 30th ".[1] He also invented the first screw top salt shaker in
Context
Before the development of refrigeration and hothouse gardens, many fruits and vegetables were available only seasonally.
From the s, the development of glass jars made canning a practical alternative to drying, pickling, or smoking to preserve food. Unfortunately, the mouth of the jar was unthreaded, across which a round, flat tin lid was laid and sealed with wax.
The canning procedure was messy, unreliable, and unsafe – if the wax was not applied properly, it allowed bacteria to thrive in the jar. Mason's innovation was a square-shouldered jar with threaded screw-top, matching lid, and rubber ring fo