John l mason biography

American tinsmith and inventor

John Landis Mason (c. 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.

John l mason biography

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