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  carelessness 
  in 
  the 
  manufacture. 
  The 
  presence 
  of 
  an 
  undue 
  quantity 
  - 
  

   of 
  moisture, 
  and 
  of 
  certain 
  deliquescent 
  salts, 
  probably 
  constitute 
  the 
  

   principal 
  grounds 
  of 
  objection. 
  No 
  pains 
  should 
  be 
  spared 
  by 
  the 
  man- 
  

   ufacturers 
  to 
  ensure 
  the 
  perfect 
  dryness 
  of 
  the 
  salt, 
  before 
  it 
  is 
  put 
  up 
  

   into 
  barrels. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  recollected 
  that 
  sometimes 
  the 
  character 
  of 
  

   the 
  salt 
  is 
  judged 
  of 
  by 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  a 
  single 
  barrel, 
  which 
  may 
  have 
  

   been 
  carelessly 
  prepared. 
  Perhaps 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  the 
  Onondaga 
  

   salt 
  is 
  manufactured 
  by 
  so 
  many 
  different 
  individuals, 
  and 
  is 
  wanting 
  

   in 
  uniformity, 
  that 
  has 
  operated 
  injuriously 
  and 
  caused 
  much 
  of 
  the 
  

   difficulty. 
  That 
  many 
  of 
  the 
  samples, 
  and 
  especially 
  those 
  obtained 
  

   by 
  solar 
  evaporation, 
  are 
  among 
  the 
  purest 
  found 
  in 
  market, 
  there 
  can 
  

   be 
  little 
  doubt. 
  And 
  the 
  statement 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  made 
  that 
  " 
  the 
  

   Salina 
  salt, 
  after 
  repeated 
  trials, 
  has 
  been 
  entirely 
  thrown 
  aside 
  by 
  the 
  

   best 
  western 
  butter 
  makers," 
  must 
  have 
  arisen 
  from 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  there 
  

   is 
  still 
  a 
  want 
  of 
  due 
  attention 
  on 
  the 
  part 
  of 
  some 
  of 
  the 
  manufac- 
  

   turers, 
  and 
  that 
  the 
  system 
  of 
  inspection 
  is 
  not 
  so 
  perfect 
  as 
  it 
  should 
  

   be. 
  

  

  The 
  Transactions 
  of 
  the 
  American 
  Institute 
  for 
  1847 
  - 
  8, 
  contain 
  a 
  

   valuable 
  communication 
  from 
  Mr. 
  E. 
  Meriam, 
  who 
  has 
  devoted 
  much 
  

   .time 
  to 
  the 
  study 
  of 
  this 
  important 
  article. 
  His 
  paper 
  embodies 
  much 
  

   information 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  quantity 
  of 
  salt 
  imported 
  into 
  the 
  United 
  

   States, 
  and 
  manufactured 
  at 
  the 
  most 
  considerable 
  Salines, 
  viz 
  : 
  those 
  

   of 
  New- 
  York 
  and 
  of 
  Virginia. 
  

  

  In 
  adverting 
  to 
  the 
  prejudice 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  entertained 
  against 
  

   American 
  salt, 
  Mr. 
  Meriam 
  exhibits 
  the 
  subject, 
  to 
  which 
  I 
  have 
  re- 
  

   peatedly 
  directed 
  the 
  attention 
  of 
  the 
  manufacturers, 
  in 
  a 
  striking 
  point 
  

   of 
  view. 
  The 
  quality 
  of 
  any 
  sample 
  of 
  salt 
  does 
  not 
  so 
  much 
  depend 
  

   upon 
  the 
  greater 
  proportion 
  of 
  chloride 
  of 
  sodium, 
  (pure 
  salt,) 
  as 
  upon 
  

   the 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  other 
  saline 
  matters 
  which 
  are 
  mixed 
  with 
  it. 
  He 
  

   illustrates 
  this 
  fact 
  by 
  the 
  following 
  statement 
  : 
  " 
  If 
  two 
  parcels 
  of 
  

   sugar 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  estimated 
  as 
  to 
  their 
  value 
  for 
  family 
  use, 
  one 
  containing 
  

   85 
  per 
  cent 
  pure 
  sugar, 
  and 
  15 
  per 
  cent 
  pure 
  silica, 
  (sand 
  ;) 
  the 
  other 
  

   containing 
  99 
  per 
  cent 
  pure 
  sugar, 
  and 
  1 
  per 
  cent 
  sulphate 
  of 
  iron, 
  

   (common 
  copperas 
  ;) 
  the 
  injury 
  done 
  in 
  the 
  latter 
  case 
  would 
  be 
  far 
  

   greater 
  than 
  in 
  the 
  former. 
  The 
  1 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  sulphate 
  of 
  iron 
  would 
  

   render 
  the 
  sugar 
  unfit 
  for 
  use, 
  while 
  the 
  15 
  per 
  cent 
  of 
  silica 
  would 
  

   merely 
  reduce 
  its 
  value 
  in 
  that 
  proportion. 
  So 
  it 
  is 
  in 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  

   samples 
  of 
  salt. 
  A 
  small 
  proportion 
  of 
  the 
  deliquescing 
  chlorides, 
  

   (chlorides 
  of 
  calcium 
  and 
  magnesium,) 
  by 
  constantly 
  rendering 
  the 
  salt 
  

   . 
  moist, 
  is 
  a 
  most 
  injurious 
  impurity 
  ; 
  while 
  sulphate 
  of 
  lime 
  or 
  gypsum, 
  

  

  