SALSIFY 214 SALT LAKE CITY 16th century, and was captured by the SALT CAKE, sulphate of soda, in its Mahrattas in 1739 and by the British in prepared form, for the use of glass 1774. blowers and soap manufacturers. SALSIFY, or SALSAFY, the Trago- pogon Porrifolius, commonly called oyster plant, cultivated to a small extent in Eng- land, but much more largely on the con- tinent of Europe and in the United States. The root is excellent when cooked. SAL-SODA the commercial term for impure carbonate of soda. SALT, in chemistry, sodium chloride. In the plural it is applied in a general sense to compounds of a metal and a halo- gen, as sodium chloride, NaCl; and to compounds formed by the union of an acid and a base, nitrate of silver AgNOg. In its fuller signification the term sug- gests a compound which can suffer rapid double decomposition with another solu- ble substance, as when solutions of chlo- ride of sodium and nitrate of silver are mixed together they at once decompose each other and form chloride of silver and nitrate of sodium. By an extension of meaning the name is sometimes ap- plied to compounds, as chloride of ethyl, acetate of ethyl, and even to fats, as stearin, tristearate of glycerin. Popularly and medicinally the term salts refers to Epsom and Rochelle salts. Salt as a commercial product is a very important industry in the United States. As early as 1620 the Jamestown colonists of Virginia established salt works at Cape Charles. Rock salt is abundant in West Virginia and Louisiana, and salt "licks" and springs are found in nearly all the States and Territories. The springs of southern Illinois were worked by the French and Indians in 1720. The Ken- tucky salt springs were known and used before 1790. Salt production in the United States, (1918) 7,238,744 short tons, valued at $26,940,361. The principal salt-producing states are New York, Michigan, Kansas, Ohio and California. SALTA, a province of the Argentine Republic, touching Chile and Bolivia, and nearly inclosing the province of Jujuy. Minerals are abundant, but have been neglected for agriculture and cattle-rais- ing. Salta is watered by the Salado, San Francisco, and Bermejo; area, 48,302 square miles. Pop. (1919) 150,796. Salta, the capital, on the Rio Arias, 535 miles N. by W. of Cordoba, was founded in 1582; it is the seat of an archbishop, . and has a seminary for priests, a national college, and a normal school for girls. Pop. (1918) 28,436. SALTILLO, capital of the Mexican State of Coahuila; 237 miles S. W. of Laredo, Texas, and 400 N. by W. of Mexico City. It contains several con- vents, a small fort, a bull ring, a number of cotton factories and pulque distilleries. Pop. about 35,000. SALTIRE, or SALTIER, in heraldry, an ordinary in the form of a St. Andrew's cross, or the letter X, formed by two bends, dexter and sinister, crossing each other. SALT LAKE CITY, a city of Utah, the capital of the State and the county- seat of Salt Lake co. It is on the Great Salt Lake and Hot Springs, and on the Oregon Short Line, the Los Angeles and Salt Lake, the Denver and Rio Grande, the Western Pacific, Union Pacific, and other railroads. It is built at the base of the Wasatch Mountains, and has an altitude of 4,334 feet above sea-level. The valley in which the city is located is fa- mous for its beauty, resources, climate, and health-giving properties. The city has a total area of 51.53 square miles. Its streets are among the widest and best planned in the world. Hundreds of miles of fine roads lead from the city to the beautiful canyons of the Wasatch Moun- tains. In 1920 an extensive network of boulevards was under construction. The drives around the city are among the most beautiful in America. The city has over 280 miles of sewers, 161 miles of gas mains, 73 miles of paved streets, 460 miles of graded streets, and 387 miles of water main. Electric light and power are furnished by water power from the mountain streams. There are within the city limits 13 parks, compris- ing 200 acres. The school system is unusually efficient. There are 49 public school buildings with 25,000 children in attendance. Salt Lake City is an important man- ufacturing center. Its annual product is valued at about $75,000,000. Among the most important industries are its smelters of copper, lead, and zinc, sugar refining, the manufacture of canned goods, candy, and chemicals. There were in 1920 12 banks, with a capital of 4,850,000, deposits of $71,000,- 000 and a surplus of $2,120,230. The bank clearings for 1919 amounted to $825,366,260. Among the most notable buildings are the Mormon Tabernacle, the State Capitol, Federal Building, Uni- versity of Utah, and many handsome churches, theaters, and clubs. The institutions for higher education
