The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1906-11-17
OUR CRAVING FOR SALT.
A BARREL A YEAR FOR EVERY
THREE PERSONS.

States Has Learned to Depend or
Itseif-States Which Lead as Sail
Producers.
A whole barrel of salt for every
three persons in the land is the rate
at which Americans consume the prod
uct which savors the animal and veg
etable foods they consume, writes the
Washington correspondent of the New
York Evening Post. New York is
second only to Michigan as salt
producing state, and statistics recent
| ly compiled by the government show
that the combined output OF these
two states aggregates more than two
thirds of the total salt production OF
the United States.
How this country has learned to
depend upon itself and provide every
thing required for its maintenance is
well shown by the record of the salt
| fury. In 1880 only 6961 900 ban els
| of salt were produced in this country.
| while consumers were forced to go
abroad for an additional supply,
amounting to 3,427,639 barrels. This
showed that only 63.5 percent of the
salt used here was of home production.
Last year 95.7 percent was the pro-
portion of the total consumption
which was produced within the bor-
ders of the United States. The total
amount was 26,S72,7O0 barrels. which
included only 1,151,133 barrels inn
ported from foreign countries. These
figures show that the American people
are using three times as much salt as
they did twenty-six years ago.
New York and four other states
provided 9O.61 percent of the total
quantity of salt produced in this coun-
try last year. The figures show that
Michigan furnished 9,492,173 barrels;
New York, S.359121 barrels; Ohio,
2,528,55S barrels; Kansas. 2,O96,5s5 bar
rels. and Louisiana, 1,O55,1s6 barrels.
Eight other states and two territories
also produce salt on a commercial
scale-Pennsylvania, West Virginia,
Mexico, Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Cal
ifornia.
The New York salt comes from beds
OF rock salt from 1000 to 1900 feet
deep, and from wells some of which
are $500 feet deep. The rock salt is
dissolved and recrystalized in prepa-
ration for culinary purposes. The
brine, which is either natural or an ar
tiflcial solution made by water led to
the deposits throuhg wells, is pumped
into covered watts, where it is concen-
trated by evaporation, or is piped to
chemical works, where it is used with
out evaporation. In Massachusetts
salt is obtained from sea water by
simple evaporation in covered watts.
In the early history of the country this
was an important industry, but the
production has now fallen to insignifi-
cant proportions.
In Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Vir-
ginia brine wells furnish the supply.
One of the most productive wells is
In the oil sands of the Kanawha Val
ley, southwestern Virginia turns out
a good quality of rock salt, and artifi- |
cial brine is pumped from deep wells
in the same locality. The salt depos-
it's Of Michigan are in the Saginaw |
and st. Clair valleys. The beds are |
Of rock salt, but they are exploited by |
means of wells, the artificial brine |
from which is used directly in chem
lcal works, or is evaporated to dry
ness in a series Of covered watts. the
principal source of commercial salt
In Kansas is the deposits Of rock salt
In the central and south central part
Of the state. About one-half Of the
production last year was from direct
mining. the remainder coming from
brine made in wells driven
down to the deposits. Salt is also |
found in salt marshes in the state,
where 1t has been brought by leach
Ing from clays.
Louisiana's great production of salt
Is from beds of rock salt at Petite
Anse, in the extreme southern part of
the state. The salt is mined through
great galleries, each 200 feet long and
seventy-five feet wide and sixty-five
feet high, without timbering. Although
the deposit covers only a comparative
ly small area, it is of great thickness.
On Jefferson island, near Petite Anse,
= shaft 1888 feet deep was sunk in
pare rock without reaching the bottom
Of the deposit. These beds, the gov
eminent finds, are remarkable for
their purity.
The salt deposits in Oklahoma are
n extensive plains along the Cimarron
river in Blaine county, and in the
part of Woods county.
Along the Cimarron river are many
;nrings delivering a clear. saturated