134 KANSAS ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 



permanent exhibit at the new Washington museum. In addition, 

 this company exhibited jars of the different grades of salt, and a col- 

 lection of very clear, pure crystals, ranging in size from a half-inch to 

 several feet across. There are only six rock-salt mines in this country, 

 and three of these are found in Kansas. The only rock-salt exhibit 

 that compared with Kansas was that of Louisiana. 



The solar evaporated salt and brine used by the Solomon Salt Com- 

 pany were exhibited. These were from the oldest salt-works in the state, 

 and the only one that uses the direct heat of the sun to evaporate the 

 brine. The salt from brines evaporated by artificial heat filled two 

 large show-cases, one from the Sterling Salt Company and the other 

 from the Hutchinson-Kansas Salt Company. These exhibits cqu- 

 fiisted of packages of table salt piled several courses high, and the spaces 

 between filled in with small sample packages. Both the table and dairy 

 salts were shown. The high character of these pure-white table salts 

 was apparent in open dishes, and proved a valuable advertisement for 

 the companies and for the state. 



MINERAL WATERS. 



Mineral waters were shown from the Phillips well, at Topeka, and 

 a large case filled with bottles of the famous Abilena natural cathartic 

 water gave the public a good idea of the health-giving qualities of 

 Kansas waters. The Abilena water became a well-knowm brand at 

 St. Louis. The water from these springs at Abilene contains the 

 following ingredients, in grains, per United States gallon : 



Sodium bicarbonate 8.909 



Limo bicarbonate 10.7333 



Iron bicarbonate 0.917 



Sodium nitrate 0.568 



Sodium sulfate 3229.288 



Magnesium sulfate 71.966 



Lime sulfate 4i.966 



Sodium chloride (common salt) 65. 176 



Silica 0.293 



Ammonia No trace. 



Total solids 3432. 195 



It is without doubt the best natural cathartic mineral water in the 

 country. In another })art of tlie building, the United States Geo- 

 logical Survey had a mineral-water exhibit, and in this exhibit were 

 mineral waters from the Waconda and other mineral springs of 

 Kansas. 



BLUE VITRIOL AND CEMENT. 



Another show-case contained the blue-vitriol exhibit from the old 

 Argentine smelter. This represents one of the lost arts of Kansas. 

 This company supplied over half the vitriol used by the Western 



