Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1878-10-09
WON ALL THE PRIZES.

We space here to mention only instance out of
many. The butter sailed with Higgins salt took all he pre-
miuns at the fair of the Northwestern Dairymcns As
ISOLATION held in Chicago last year These hc"Wood
Creamery" OF Huntey Ill.,, first premium Of 500; the
Booth Creamery Salem, WIS., second premium Of s1h
the Houston Creamery" Of Pleasant Prairie, WIS., third
premium Of $50 and the booth Dairy first premium for
dairy butter s5O-leavng only the inferior premiums Of
SIS SIS and $40 for dairy butter be taken by all the
other brands Of salt combined.
1t may be interesting dnymen know how the two
leading brands-egn's and Ashton's-are made and what
the difference between them We wish had the sIaue
reprint entire the letter Of MIR. f. b. Thurber
of the Arm Of II. X. & h. F. Thurber a Co.. New YORK.,
to the American Grocer but be content to give few
from It, After describing the scenery the salt
works. he says:
Before proceeding to describe the usual process Of salt
making perhaps ought to state what salt mine a. In
both wnstord and Norwich there found two layers
tend under great part Of the county Of Cheshire The
low the surface and Is about lee, thick. hen comes
layer OF rock $50 TO 400 feet when the second or lower strata
the upper strata and OF better quality being cleaner and
freer from impurities The quality OF the salt rock in the
strata also varies much. and rule the best is
found at the bottom of the stata In openn g salt mine
reached, and then il is worked the same as a coal mine
Inc ,it ro u about gs hnra u.s. anthracite coal and Is
of salt LANCER than Lots wife fancy are left
that there ia less danger than with coal these
pillars ARE less frequent than IN any coal mine have ever
visited. The air IN this salt mine also much better.
being pure. dry and cool Ascending again TO the surface
witnessed the treatment of the salt rock Much this
is shipped 1t l. WHEN raised ro the mine, direct 10 Den
mark, Norway and Sweden (whose customs tariffs dis
crimnae against refined salu, Whpre Is refined
Some is crushed rs raised from the mine and used
IN IT'S natural state Tor agricultural ana manufacturing
purpose and Is refined and used for vaou purposes
The best and by far the greater quantity OF alt manuc-
In the Cheshire silt district however, made by
pumping ny the water winch hi come in contact with the
salt strata places dssoving the rock and becoming
strongly mpregnated with saline natter In this most
OF the earthly and nsouhle matter remains below ground,
and the sat manufactured turns pure and white As
may be inferred from the above description of differences
differs that from the lower strata being gener lily the hest
1t pumped by power into the double
purpose Of allowing 1t To settle and tn have supply
case OF the pump breaking down. From thence It IA
into iron evpofang pans perhaps 2OX2j feet and Is inches
hight under these runs furnace nue. and in about three
hours II begins to boil; In u hours much salt has pre-
This is done with sieve spade (shovel with
forated bottoml, The wet salt is thrown into conical
room where remains five sN days In temperature Of
lsO to 100 degrees thence to the bre,kgroom broken up
hue, and packed for shipment. In witnessing this APP
parenty simple process was tempted to say, Well any
body do that" but closer examination found that
some OF the required much care, skill and
perence almost any other business and
quality of production depended st, the quality Of
brine; 2nd, improved appliances and utensils and 3D.
the experience skill devoted TO the business For
using iron hoors drying rooms which, although more
pensive than brick. dry quickly uniformly and
ceanly They also dffe ent form OF mould from the
others, ana higgins works stand pe-eminen in one i'm
porant feature, namely, having set of for giving the
brine preliminary heating and treatment which pecip
taes all sediment and impurities before running into the
hears evidence of the and cleanliness bestowed upon
their ptoduct mould of salt is carefully scaped be-
settled IT. the sacks the best that he procured
and many similar items, small and unimportant in them
selves are carefully looked after and doubtless In the
gegaie have something 10 do with the popularity of this
brand.