Swedish Occupation: Saltpetersjudare: Difference between revisions

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Saltpetersjudare was a profession whose job was to collect urine soaked earth in order to take advantage of saltpeter. Saltpeter arises when biological material decomposes in the soil and an important source for this is the ground under the stable.

Saltpeter was a key ingredient of black powder, the first gunpowder. Firearms had been invented around 1400 and required the use of black powder. At the time of Gustav Vasa, the army turned increasingly to the use of firearms. These firearms were charged with powder, which contained 75% saltpeter. Since a high concentration of saltpeter was contained in the earth under the barns, this earth was declared to be royal property. All farmers (the priests made sure that no one was forgotten) had to supply its quota imposed to the nearest saltpetersjudare -- it was called the saltpeter tax.

In order to streamline and better control that all the manure soil was obtained during the war years of the "Stormakstid", special saltpetersjudare traveled around among the farming villages. They had the right to even break the stall floor if needed. Moveover, they were to be furnished with food and lodging by the farmer as long as the work was in progress. When they were finished, the farmers had to fill in the new earth and make new floors in the barns. The farmers did not like this forceful practice which was repeated every five years.

After digging up the stable soil, the soil was put in an extraction vat which had a filter layer of sand on the bottom of the vat. The vat was filled with water to separate the soluble components. The Saltpeter solution was then scooped into the reduction pan, a flat copper basin on a hearth. There, the solution was boiled down producing a saltpeter brine. The brine was poured into another vat to crystallize. Copper sticks in this vat collected the crystals. The saltpeter was then scratched off the copper sticks and the rest of the brine went back to the reduction pan again.

From the middle of the 1700s everything that could give saltpeter was taken advantage of and collected, such as waste contents and rotten meat from the households in the cities. The compost was then boiled and leached. Working conditions were very difficult and the staff often consisted of female prisoners under the supervision of the saltpetersjudare and guard personell.

References: Svenska wikipedia, Saltpetersjudare, http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salpetersjudare

Ulrich Bretscher’s Black Powder page, Saltpeter, http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/saltpeter.html

Wise Geek, clear answers for common questions, What is Salt Peter?, http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-salt-peter.htm

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-'''The Manufacturing of Saltpeter'''
+Saltpetersjudare was a profession whose job was to collect urine soaked earth in order to take advantage of saltpeter. &nbsp;Saltpeter arises when biological material decomposes in the soil and an important source for this is the ground under the stable. &nbsp;
-There is mention of saltpeter being used by the Greeks as early as ca. 1300 A.D. &nbsp; Saltpeter was one of the ingredients of the first gunpower, black power. &nbsp;Black powder was discovered around 1300 and was first used for fire crackers. Fire arms were invented around 1400 and required the use of black powder. This put a greater need for saltpeter than could be found in the natural form, so saltpeter had to be produced. The best source of material to produce saltpeter was in cow stables in the decomposing material. There the saltpeter boilers a distinctive profession, dug the soil from stables periodically and extracted the saltpeter. The Saltpeter digger would break open the floor of a stable with a pick axe and dig out the soil with the decomposing material (manure). This soil would later be processed.
+Saltpeter was a key ingredient of black powder, the first gunpowder. &nbsp;Firearms had been invented around 1400 and required the use of black powder. &nbsp;At the time of Gustav Vasa, the army turned increasingly to the use of firearms. These firearms were charged with powder, which contained 75% saltpeter. Since a high concentration of saltpeter was contained in the earth under the barns, this earth was declared to be royal property. &nbsp;All farmers (the priests made sure that no one was forgotten) had to supply its quota imposed &nbsp;to the nearest saltpetersjudare -- it was called the saltpeter tax.&nbsp;
-The farmers did not like to have the Saltpeter digger come but the diggers were backed by their governments who needed the black powder for defense. After digging up the stable soil, the soil was put in an extraction vat which had a filter layer of sand on the bottom of the vat. The vat was filled with water to separate the soluble components. The Saltpeter solution was then scooped into the reduction pan, a flat copper basin on a hearth. There, the solution was boiled down producing a saltpeter brine. The brine was poured into another vat to crystallize. Copper sticks in this vat collected the crystals. The saltpeter was then scratched off the copper sticks and the rest of the brine went back to the reduction pan again.
+In order to streamline and better control that all the manure soil was obtained during the war years of the "Stormakstid", &nbsp;special saltpetersjudare traveled around among the farming villages. &nbsp;They had the right to even break the stall floor if needed. &nbsp;Moveover, they were to be furnished with food and lodging by the farmer as long as the work was in progress. &nbsp;When they were finished, the farmers had to fill in the new earth and make new floors in the barns. &nbsp;The farmers did not like this forceful practice which was repeated every five years. &nbsp;
-As the demand for more saltpeter increased the formation of Saltpeter plants began which produced the material for obtaining saltpeter as well as processing the saltpeter.
-Chemical engineers are now able to produce saltpeter using technical chemistry. It is generally manufactured by treating sodium nitrate, mostly mined in Chile.
+After digging up the stable soil, the soil was put in an extraction vat which had a filter layer of sand on the bottom of the vat. The vat was filled with water to separate the soluble components. The Saltpeter solution was then scooped into the reduction pan, a flat copper basin on a hearth. There, the solution was boiled down producing a saltpeter brine. The brine was poured into another vat to crystallize. Copper sticks in this vat collected the crystals. The saltpeter was then scratched off the copper sticks and the rest of the brine went back to the reduction pan again.
+From the middle of the 1700s everything that could give saltpeter was taken advantage of and collected, such as waste contents and rotten meat from the households in the cities. &nbsp;The compost was then boiled and leached. &nbsp;Working conditions were very difficult and the staff often consisted of female prisoners under the supervision of the saltpetersjudare and guard personell. &nbsp;
+<br>
 '''References:'''
+Svenska wikipedia, Saltpetersjudare,&nbsp;http://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salpetersjudare&nbsp;
 Ulrich Bretscher’s Black Powder page, Saltpeter, http://www.musketeer.ch/blackpowder/saltpeter.html