MANUFACTURE OF SALT FROM SEA-WATER 55 



conveyed on a belt toward the rolls which crush it. 

 The crushed salt is usually washed again with brine 

 made from fresh water and nearly pure salt. After 

 the second washing, the salt is stacked in heaps to 

 drain. The lower grade salts receive no further re- 

 fining but are screened after draining. The common 

 sizes of crushed salt are "half ground" and "three- 

 quarters ground." 



The better grades of salt are carefully dried. The 

 preliminary drying is accomplished in centrifugal 

 machines, which whirl the salt free from all adhering 

 liquor. The drying is completed in cylindrical steam- 

 heated driers, which revolve slowly as the salt passes 

 through. After drying, the salt is crushed, sifted, 

 graded, and packed for shipping. 



American solar sea-salt is superior to that which 

 is manufactured in other countries because of the 

 greater care used in the crystallization and harvest- 

 ing, and also on account of the careful washing and 

 drying that it receives. Our American salines were 

 constructed more recently than those in Europe, and, 

 further, American salt users are more fastidious. 

 For these reasons the California salt makers use the 

 most up-to-date scientific methods known and pro- 

 duce the finest sea-salt made. 



The uses for which a salt is suited depend upon 

 the size, shape, and purity of the crystals. Crushed 

 and screened solar salt consists of irregularly shaped 

 grains, many of which have sharp, jagged edges 

 produced by the crushing process. Such salt cannot 

 be used for many purposes. On this account, much 



