which one of Ned's books was that in?
In my copy of "The Muzzle-Loading Cap Lock Rifle", published by Bonanza Books, on page 109.
Copyright dates; MCMXL, MCMMXLIV, MCMXLVII, and MCMLII
(Im not that hot on Roman Numerals, but I "think" that is 1950, 1954, 1957, and 1952...some of you smarter fellows help me out here.)
It says, in part:
"it seems that the civilian rifleman in those days had problems getting powder.
Hillard wrote his customer; "I can furnish a 25 pound can of Hazard's Fg Kentucky Rifle Powder for $20.00, but it will be shipped as LARD (not gunpowder) in a 50 pound lard tierce, from a grocer friend, and you will have to pay for about 20 pounds of lard as well as the powder in order to get it.
It will be packed in this way: A 50 pound lard tierce will have a false bottom set in 7 inches deep under the true bottom and this space is filled with lard.
The can of powder is put in and a false top set snugly in place, the 7 inch space is then filled with lard, and the true top fastened in place. You will receive the shipment of LARD with your powder in the middle.
The Government Inspectors us a "lard tester" with a 6 inch blade; therefore a 7 inch depth of lard in each end will pass the Inspector's lard-tester all right even if both ends of the tierce are tested".
note by Russ; I take this time frame to be about 1835, as that is about the time D.H.Hillard, gunsmith, was in business.
I don't know "why" the "Government Inspector" would be checking for contraband, ie, gunpowder at that time. Although I've read the book many times since I owned it, it just doesn't seem to be in this book.
And, The best defination I have found for a "tierce", as used here, is; "any of various units of liquid capacity equal to...42 gallons, or 159 liters".........
There, now you know about as much as I do about "why" gunpowder would be packed in lard...and at least as much as to why I would suspect there was some problems with gun ownership for some time now.
Respectfully, Russ