Smithsonian Contributions - Smithsonian Institution Libraries

146
is tied around die charm to secure the cloth and paper covering over the
vessel's lid.
Chicken jug: A stoneware poultry fountain formerly made by the Meaderses
and their neighbors. Normally turned in the same gallon size as whiskey
jugs, chicken waterers were produced in two types. The first, and older,
simply had a pinched out lower lip for a drinking trough. A later variety
added a walled dish to collect water, as it dribbled out dirough a hole at the
jug's base. In bodi versions, the moudi of the jug was usually stoppered
with a ball of clay.
Chip: A wooden contouring tool employed during the turning process.
Cheever Meaders' chip was hand-carved from a splinter of heart cedar,
although he had also fashioned chips from dogwood and maple. Lanier
Meaders used a chip (rechristened "scrape") made from sheet steel, which
he found was more durable when used on a metal turning surface.
Churn: A general term for a wide variety of food-processing and storage
vessels. The most popular sizes were three and four gallons, although some
churns ranged as large as six gallons.
Cream riser: A low, wide-brimmed ceramic pan used in separating cream
from whole milk. While the "milk pan" type of cream riser was the more
common in White County as well as in other parts of the Soudi, the
Meaderses also produced a second (possibly later) variety, which looked
very much like a squat pitcher. Cream risers were turned in one-, two-,
and three-gallon sizes.
To "cut" a top: The process of turning large vessels in two pieces. For production
potters like the Meaderses, effort (if not time) was saved by pulling
cylinders up in two stages.
Draft: The flow of oxygen through the kiln while a burning is in progress.
Drafthole: Small openings at the firebox end of the kiln left unblocked during
the burning to allow a controlled flow of oxygen through the structure.
These are generally closed off, once the firing ceases, to protect the kiln's
contents from cooling too rapidly.
To "draw" the clay: Said by the Meaderses to be the damaging effect of ash
glaze on unfired pottery. The family was careful about handling glazed
ware before burning because of problems with cracking and "rotting."
Ear: The looped handle on churns and other large vessels (often accompanied
by a slab "lifter").