142 THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF CANADA 



Sea water at about 10 degrees saline strength is admitted through 

 flood gates, by tide pressure, into the main reservoir, where it remains 

 for from ten to twenty days, according to weather conditions, increas- 

 ing in salinity from two to four degrees per day in dry weather. 

 During this stage the vegetable matter is deposited in a sort of mossy 

 slime, on the bottom of the reservoir, where it is killed as the brine 

 reaches a strength of 40 to 50 degrees, which occurs after about 

 two weeks standing. 



From this main or "weak" reservoir the brine is turned by 

 surface water wheels into smaller divisions, and during the second 

 stage of evaporation, when it increases to a saline strength of 80 to 

 90 degrees, the lime and other impurities are eliminated. During 

 this process a coating of scale and mud is formed on the bottom of 

 the pans or ponds, the deposit containing a high percentage of lime 

 and other impurities. 



When the brine reaches a hundred degrees saline strength, the 

 point at which crystallization begins, it is again turned into other 

 areas or ponds, the bottoms of which are of firm marl carefully scraped 

 and cleaned from time to time, and which, from being constantly 

 worked over and exposed to the sun, are nearly as solid as an asphalt 

 pavement and quite impervious to water. The salt crystals form in 

 cubes on the bottom of these pans and grow into one another, forming 

 a cake of salt varying in thickness from one to six inches, according 

 to the length of time the process continues. When the salt is gathered 

 the surplus brine is drawn off, and the cake broken up and carted 

 out to the points of shipment. 



The salt, when first gathered, usually has a decidedly pink cast, 

 but this disappears as the salt is stacked up and exposed to the 

 strong glare of the sun and a hot dry wind. Most of the brine shows 

 a very pink colour during the time the crystallizing is going on, but 

 this disappears from the salt after it is dried out. According to the 

 statement of the manufacturers of solar sea salt, there should be no 

 pink colouration in salt properly cured by three to six months storing 

 after gathering. In other words, time is the principal factor in 

 rendering the salt free from the red organism. It is, however, more 

 remunerative to grind and ship salt within a few days or weeks after 

 coming from the ponds, as loss from rain is avoided, and there is less 

 handling and storing. On account of the large demand from Canada 

 and other countries, much newly made salt is shipped, and in con- 

 sequence it has been largely infected with the red organism. 



It would be advisable to check, by proper laboratory methods, 

 the contention of the salt manufacturers that the red organism will 



