Grapevines, one of the main crops in Catalonia until the arrival of the phylloxera plague (late 19th century), forced farmers to spend a large part of the day working the land for many seasons.
Amongst the things he carried in the basket to go to work, in addition to food, cruets and a knife, was the salt cane. Each used to make his own salt shaker with a piece of cane, a durable, cheap, light and handy material. The stalk prevented the salt from clogging as it retained the moisture and kept it away from the salt.