In Georgia, the price of salt depended on one's family circumstances. Heads of families could purchase a half-bushel of salt for $2.50. If a widow had a son in the Confederate army, the price was only $1.00. But if the widow's husband had served his nation, the price was free. Local court clerks sent salt requests to the state government, which in turn allotted salt to the counties as requested. One way Southern families acquired salt was to boil the dirt in areas where they had previously cured meats.