BOD had login problems so he asked me to post this, a first historical record (from 1805) of the bamboo percussion method (click on "page 46" to see the text of the page and then on "next" for page 47):
http://dlxs.library.cornell.edu/cgi...t;subview=detail;start=1;size=25;didno=sea144
From the following book by David N. Woodard (London, 1805):
"
The narrative of Captain David Woodard and four seamen : who lost their ship while in a boat at sea, and surrendered themselves up to the Malays in the island of Celebes; containing an interesting account of their sufferings from hungar and various hardships, and their escape from the Malays, after a captivity of two years and a half: also an account of the manners and customs of the country, and a description of the harbours and coast, and c. ... "
That's quite a long title
as was common in those days.
One of the well-know "useful" plants is
Equisetum, or
scouring rush. Because of the high silica content, plant stems are often bundled together and used for cleaning pots and pans.
Hoodoo,
Ed had already tested striking dried
Equisetum stalks for sparks but says it is too brittle.
Cheers,
Tom