Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-03-07
fcance of these facts:

ficance of these facts:
Pounds.
average specific gravity of salt ...... 2-25
Weight of one cubic foot of salt Gust
half barrel ........... 14O.625
Barrels
An acre of salt one foot thick gives 21,7so
An acre Of salt ten feet thick gives 81 800
An acre Of salt 100 feet thick gives 217S,OOo
A square mile of salt 100 feet thick
gives I, 1913 go, 600
Present consumption of salt for all
purposes in the United States per
annum. ............ ..-.... ..... 100000
Michigan salt wells produced in 1850 1900
Michigan salt wells produced in 1887 100000
New York (Onondaga) droduced in
1877 ............ 800
New York State produced in 1887. 100000
1t is here seen that the present enor-
nous consumption of salt III the United
States could be. supplied for III years
to come from one square mile of rock
salt one hundred feet thick. Here
then are two factors assured. The
supply of salt slowed up by nature is
simply inexhaustible even here in
Kansas, and there are immense sup
plies elsewhere, There is immense
energy and busine ss. talent at work to
make the supply available for the use
of man. 1t is quite possible that here
in Kansas and in other places the
available supply will greatly exceed the
demand.
SALT IN AGRICULTURE.
what is to be the end of this? Are
New York and Michigan, West
Virginia and Ohio to cease manufac-
turing salt because Kansas has so
much? l trOw not. Kansas will prob
ably supply in Il few years all the salt
used west of the Mississippi river. But
other uses of salt will be discovered.
and old ones greatly extended. The
farmers of western and northwestern
and central states will have something
to do in developing the salt industry of
Kansas as we'll as of the older salt
centers. Farmers will use salt as a
fertilizer. Professor Shelton shows it's
value in this respect on wheat. "A
dressing of 800 pounds of salt per acre
on two plots gave an average increase
of close to 8 per cent. of cleaned gram
as compared with plots not SO dressed
as we'll as an increase of straw. This
would be eqoal to be making yield of
eleven bushels to the acre into twelve
bushels, which in three years would
pay for the salt with wheat at 60 cents.
The same proportion ON larger yield
= 81, int
There is abundant evidence of the same
sort from all parts, and it becomes the
enterprising farmers of the west-Kan-
sas most of ALTO use salt as a bug
destroyer and fertilizer; thus increas-
ing their crops and aiding materially
the development of the salt industry
to make that of Kansas grow, and not
diminish that of other states.''
SALT IN THE ARTS.
| Besides the uses Of salt that have
been referred to, there are others not
often thought of. 1t is all ingredient
in it's most refined form in some useful
patent medicines, and it is used also in
the reduction of certain silver ores,
enormous prices have been paid for it
in past years in Nevada. Its technical
name it sodic chloride OF chloride of
sodium, and so it is used in the manu-
facture (as the raw materiaDCof soda.
1t is used in bleaching and in glass
making. The glazing of pottery is
produced by it, and it is required in the
process of enameling. These and
other arts will use more as population
increases and cultivation advances,
and in many other. ways will he verified
the saying of the Great teacher, that
'Salt is good.'