106 BULLETIN 141^ UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



wall of the oven are in reality wasted, and the ears in the mass are 

 thoroughly cooked by steam (pi. 97, fig. 3; model). The same idea 

 is employed in cooking mush, which is put in a jar and set in the 

 hot chamber and cooked by heat radiation from the walls (pi. 97, 

 fig. 4; model; Hopi Indians, Arizona). A curious modification of 

 this type of oven is found among the Zuni Indians. In the heated 

 pit are piled hot slabs of stone alternating with mush. The oven 

 is then covered over and a fire built on top (pi. 97, fig. 2; model in 

 the U. S. National Museum). The heap oven was generally 

 used among the Indians whose habitation was the tipi. In this type 

 the roots, corn ears, and whatever was to be cooked were put in a 

 heap on an area which had been heated by a fire, covered with grass 

 and earth, and a fire built over the heap (pi. 97, fig. 1 ; model in the 

 U. S. National Museum). From these rude earth ovens there 

 emerges a definite built-up oven in connection with human habita- 

 tions and among bread-consuming people. A familiar example of 

 these is the dome-shape oven seen in ISIexico and in the south- 

 western United States. It adjoins the house, is built on the ground, 

 and is constructed of mud or stone plastered with mud. The Mexi- 

 cans invariably use this oven. All the Pueblo Indians have this oven 

 except the Hopi. No archeological traces of this type are found 

 in the Pueblo region, and the inference is that it was introduced 

 from Mexico and to that country from Spain. Such ovens are seen 

 in the Near East, and it is probable that this type is coterminous 

 with the wheat and yeast using peoples. Mounted on legs or founda- 

 tion, or otherwise installed, this type of " bake oven " was wide- 

 spread in Europe, parts of Africa, and Asia from ancient times, and 

 was introduced into North America by emigrants from the Old 

 World (pi. 97, fig. 5; model in National Museum). 



In the earlier times the oven was a thing apart from the gi'eat 

 open fireplace of general utility. Its function was for baking at 

 intervals of an amount of bread sufficient for family needs over a 

 period of time. For smaller bakings of fresh bread the reflecting 

 oven was used. This consisted of a number of forms, but the prin- 

 ciple was the reflection of heat rays from a sheet of tin inclined at 

 90° onto bread or other food in a pan resting horizontally in front 

 of the reflector. Few of the rigid reflectors have survived. The 

 Museum has a folding or camp reflector, Lehnen's patent, patented 

 September 80, 1875, and made by Scoville and Johnson at Mar- 

 quette, Mich. This is of copper tinned inside. It has two reflect- 

 ing surfaces, one 90° heating the top and the other 45° the bottom 

 of the pan placed between them on an iron grid which also holds 

 the sides together. This apparatus is set up in front of a camp 

 fire. The older reflectors were stationed in front of a bright fire in 



