Evening star., 1925-02-08
Our Salt Industry.

one Of the immense industries of
California is the manufacture of
table salt. A vast amount of capital
is invested in this constantly in
creasing business in the Golden State.
Great quantities Of salt are used, not
Pacific coast, especially in the North
west, where are located many
large fishing esta packing
houses, etc.
The time is not so remote when
California imported all OF its salt
supplies. 1t may now be stated,
however, that nearly all the home
consumption is provided for by the
State, and not only so. but very large
quantities are now annually shipped
to the Pacific coast states and beyond
the seas.
All the salt produced in California
ocean water, there being but few
salt springs or wells. With the ex-
ception of the output of a few COM
paratively small lt-manufacturing
plants in the southern part of the
State, the entire salt production there
is accounted for in Alameda County,
within an area of less than 80 sqaure
salt plants are at present in operation
around the lower arm of San Fran
cisco Bay. Over on the northern side
of this arm, in San Mateo County, are
a number of smaller establishments.
1t is estimated that the total output
of salt per year in Alameda County
alone reaches 1T5,oeo tons. while not
less than $4,000 tons are annually
produced in other parts of the State.
col 0ht tot a
has superior in the world in
strength and purity. There is every
grade produced, down to the very
finest table salt, by certain refining
processes. The salt output of Cali
fornia is. shipped to the northern
States of the Pacific coast, British
Columbia, Mexico, Central and South
America, Hawaii, Japan and even the
Philippine Islands.
The Summer season is the best
period for making salt. 1t is col
lected in the warm part of the sea-
son after evaporation has done Its
work, and piled up in great pyramids.
some of which contain as much as
1000 tons. 1t is very beautiful-snow-
white and dazzling in the sunlight.
There are hundreds and even thou
sands of acres covered with these
pyramids, and the scene is a strange
one.
In the process of evaporation the
sea water is run into series Of ponds
and tested with the salometer and
other instruments number of times
each day. All impurities are in this
manner allowed to settle, and are ex-
tracted in the countless, different
ponds built for such purposes, until
finally all that remains is the salt
pickle, or strong brine, which is
pumped into the watts. The result is
that the salt comes out perfectly
clean, sweet and pure. No artificial
means are employed to produce the
snowy whiteness.
1t is claimed that California salt
analyZes higher than the Liverpool
importation, and is superior for table
and dairy purposes. Large quantities
of this salt are used in the curing of
all kinds of meat and fshAsalmon,
Goldfish, etc.
All along the lower arm of San
Francisco Bay there exist certain pc
culiarities in the lay of the land,
which, in conjunction with the clt-
mate and the favorable conditions or
the soil, combine to make the To-
cality especially adapted to the salt
industry. Long intervals of cloud
less skies, low humidity and high
temperature all favor rapid evapora-
ton, while the sofia stiff clay-is
well adapted for making levees and
water tight reservoirs.
The great natural deposits of rock
salt found ir the various localities in
the vast region west of the Rocky
Mountains are commercially of COM
paratively little value, owing to their
remoteness from distributing markets
and to the necessarily high cost or
production. Except for small local
demand from farmers, ranchers ana
meat dealers, the yield of these de-
posits is comparatively insignificant
and figures but little in general sta
, tistical records. The cost of evapora-
ton salt is but one-ffth of the lowest
rate of transportation on rock salt
| from the nearest source OF supply 10
| the most accessible ocean port.