Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-02-21

below the level Of tho prairie. The diameter
at top Is about 200 feet that of the pool about
I'D or 30 feet. The area Is increasing, . series
OF cracks marking the subsistence at some dis
lance from the margin. The water is of course
Affected by rains and surface drainage, yet p
sample taken from the edge indicated IS do
grees on the salometer. and = o. (avoirdupois)
yielded on evaporation exactly half an ounce OF
salt, stained with some impurities. So far. this
has only been temporarily utilized to furnish
salt for q neighboring ranch, and this Is now dis
continued.
There are many deep borings in Eastern
Kansas which have yielded salt water at va
rious depths. A recent boring at Wichita 1875
feet deep. struck sixteen veins of salt water,
and salt of q very good quality was made by
evaporating very small quantity.
Borings have also been made at Newton In
Harvey County; at st. Mary's and Wamego, in
Pottawatomte County, and At Wellington. in
Sumner County; and at tho second and last
there are indications that rock salt was pierced,
and strong brine is obtained from all of them
The two wells in Pottawatomie County are re-
markable in that they give an artesian dow of
strong brine in a position favorable to the man.
ufacture near the railway.
Before noting the means taken to develop the
recently discovered Kansas salt, 1T Is proper to
say that Kansas has for many years been in the
list OF salt-producinR States. Brine is obtained
from wells near the mouth Of the Solomon river
In Saline County, at depth OF 1GO feet, which
has been manufactured into an excellent quail
ity Of salt since 1867. The works have capacity
of fifty thousand bushels of salt per annum,
but 1t does not appear that more than eighteen
thousand bushels (58 pounds each) have been
produced In one year. The brine strength by
the salometer is Is degrees, but deeper we'll
Is now being drilled to obtain stronger brine
T110 &c ~; Sc
tinued about eight or nine months in the year,
in pans having total evaporating surface OF
$4,000 square feet. The salt produced is Of
good quality, and is said to be much desired by
farmers for the homecoming of meat.
This year Kansas takes her place among the
large producers of salt. And it is rock salt that
is the main source OF supply. though other
sources are to be utilized soon. The rock salt
was struck first at Ellsworth at depth of 73O
feet In August, 1887; at Hutchinson, south OF
the river. little later. at depth OF $50 feet at
Kingman, at q depth of 665 feet; on December
2 at Lyons, at depth OF 765 feet; a little later
at Anthony, at depth of 925 feet, and in 1888,
at Nickerson, Great Bend and Sterling The
thickness Of salt besides the saline shales ap-
pears to be at Ellsworth, 40 feet; Lyons, $50
feet: Hutchinson, $50 feet: Kingman, 200 feet;
An hony, Is feet; Great Bend 25 feet, Ster-
ling, 1893 feet.
certainly known, but it would appear to be con-
siderable. At Wellington the town water is
put down the well and comes up almost q COM
pletely saturated solution, 90 to 100 degrees by
the SALON. ter.) This is how the salt is treated
at Hutchinson, with like result At King
man, besides two evaporating companies nearly
ready for work, shaft is being sun which is
expected to begin mining the salt in March.
All the towns named are either making salt,
or are in the earlier stages OF erecting salt
blocks" (the name used for the entire buildings
and plant,) or organizing companies for the salt
manufacture.
At Hutchinson most progress has been made
There the salt industry is an established fact
The Hutchinson salt is slightly less compact
that that from Michigan, so that the barrels
have to be about an inch larger in height and
diameter to hold the orthodox five bushels oil
tifty-six pounds each. or these barrels, the
table shows us that single firm has shipped
| seven hundred car-loads.-reckoning one hun
dred barrels per car. 1t is, therefore. indicated
that the railway trafhc in this article from the
salt towns will be something great, and work
will be given to additional railway employees
| 1t has become already necessary for the railway
| companies to agree on q salt freight tariff.
| The energy with which the salt industry is
being developed suggests the question whether
| the underground; supply will hold out or not o.
this there can be no doubt as 1t is making a low
| estimate to say that there are several hundred
| square miles Of salt of from one hundred tc
| three hundred feet thick in Kansas.
| Statistics show that the present enormous
| consumption of salt in the United States could
be supplied for III years from one square mile
| Of rock salt one hundred feet thick. Here ther
| are two factors assured: The supply of sal,
| slowed up by nature is simply inexhaustible
| even in Kansas and there are immense sup
| plies elsewhere. There is immense energy and
| business talent at work to make the supply
| available for the use OF man. 1t is quite posi-
| BILE that here in Kansas and in other places the
available supply will greatly exceed the de
mand.
| Kansas will probably supply in few years
| all the salt used for ordinary purposes west o.
| the Mississippi river. But other uses OF salt
| will be discovered, and old ones greatly ex
| tended. The farmers of Western. Northwestern
and Central States will have something to do IL
| developing the salt industry Of Kansas as wei
| as of the older salt centers. Farmers will ust
salt fertilizer.
Salt as an Insect Destroyer.
AS q remedy against cut-worms Michigan
man applies salt and ashes at the rate O
| a barrel to the acre. The mixture is sowet
just ahead of the pillow. His object is t.
get it under with the green sod, which the worn
must feed on until the corn comes He reports
having planted two ten-acre fields to corn o.
one he plowed under his mixture. On TIT
other he did not The field which had received
| the mixture had no worms. The other was in
| tested, but soon as the corn came up ant
the worms began to operate he applied salt
ashes and plaster in equal parts. It appeared
| to do the business, for the worms stopped
| working.
There is abundant evidence OF the same sor
from an parts. and it becomes the enterprisinl
farmers of the West-Kansas most of ALT,
use salt both bug-destroyer and as fertil
izer; thus increasing their crops and aiding
materi ally the development of the salt indus
try-to make that Of Kansas grow, and not di
minish that of other States.
In this use OF salt it is well to proceed with in
| telligent caution. Don't be too niggardly to US
| enough; don't be SO careless or extravagant a
to use too much Salt destroys insect life. I
also destroys vegetable life IL enough be used
The quantity that is enough to destroy chinch
bugs will also kill many small weeds. Large
quantities will kill grain or even trees. Fortu
nately most of our eful plants will stand
great deal Of salt; but some of them will be
come salt to the taste before they are killed
| From the testimony given in Salt Sayings
aud agricultural papers 1t appears that less thar