improved Ways of Making Paper

The traditional European way of making paper required rags, and in colonial America, rags were scarce.  When people began papering walls for decorative purposes in the 1700s, not even the rags could meet the demand.  In the 19th century,  paper began to be made from straw and wood pulp.

The use of wood pulp, however, denuded large tracts of America forests, transforming primitive forests into thousands of unread newspapers.  By 1939 a single paper making machine operated by four men could turn out 20 tons of wood pulp a day.

A Georgia chemist discovered a new way to process Southern pine by sulfates to make paper.  This dramatically reduced the cost of paper and provided a profitable use for Southern wastelands. 

Next time...the humble paper bag
_____________________________
Today in Pioneer History:  "On February 17, 1820, the Missouri Compromise is passed in the Senate in an attempt to deal with the dangerously divisive issue of extending slavery into the western territories.  The Compromise created "free" and "slave" states to create a balance.