56 NEW YORK STATE MUSEUM 



The value of the salt production, as fixed by the reports from 

 the companies, amounted to $2,191,485, as compared with $2,258,- 

 292, the value reported for the year 1910. These figures are based 

 on the values at the mines or works, exclusive of costs of package. 

 The average was 21.7 cents a barrel, against 22 cents a barrel in 

 1910, 23.3 cents in 1909, 23.7 cents in 1908 and 25 cents in 1907. 

 Prices have thus fallen steadily for a number of years. It is to be 

 noted, however, that the average values as given are reduced con- 

 siderably by the inclusion of salt used in the form of brine for 

 alkali manufacture. Since this salt is not marketed as such, and is 

 not even evaporated, it is given only a nominal valuation, repre- 

 senting practically the mere cost of pumping. The production of 

 this brine is confined to a single company, the Solvay Process Co., 

 which has a number of wells in the town of Tully, Onondaga 

 county, whence the brine is carried through a pipe line to the alkali 

 works near Syracuse. 



The accompanying tables give the statistics of salt production for 

 recent years. For the years 1910 and 191 1 the output is given ac- 

 cording to grades, so far as the classification could be made without 

 revealing the individual figures. The grades depend upon methods 

 of manufacture and purposes for which the salt is used. Rock salt 

 and salt in brine consumed by the alkali industry appear in the last 

 item of the detailed tables which also includes small quantities of 

 evaporated salt not specially classified in the returns. The evapo- 

 rated salt is chiefly marketed under the grades of common fine, 

 table and dairy, common coarse, common solar, and packers salt. 

 Table and dairy salt includes the finest grades of artificially evapo- 

 rated specially prepared for the table and for butter and cheese 

 making; it brings the highest market price. Under common fine 

 are listed the other grades of fine, artificially evaporated salt that 

 are not specially prepared. Common coarse represents the coarser 

 product from artificial evaporation. Coarse solar salt is made by 

 evaporation of brine in shallow pans exposed to the sun's heat. 

 This process is employed only by the manufacturers in Syracuse 

 and vicinity, and can be carried on, of course, only in the summer 

 months. Packers salt includes the product sold to meat packers 

 and fish salters. 



