of Salt in Horticulture. 61 



vocal manner, recommended its employment in the practice of 

 horticulture. His words are these : " Several herbs, such as 

 radish, beet, rue, pennyroyal, like best being watered with salt 

 water ; and I advise the extension of this trial to some other 

 herbs, especially those which are strong, such "as mustard, 

 rocket, and the like. — Lord Bacons Natural History. I must, 

 however, now proceed to the consideration of the effect of salt 

 in the cultivation of fruits. 



The action of common salt upon fruit-trees, when judi- 

 ciously applied, is equally beneficial. In cider countries it 

 has been the practice on some estates, where the owners have 

 been ambitious to have fine orchards, to dig a small trench a 

 few .yards distant from each apple-tree, and to put within it a 

 small quantity of salt, which, by means of the rain, becomes 

 dissolved, and is gradually conveyed to the roots of the trees. 

 This practice is said to increase the quantity of the fruit, and 

 to preserve the trees in the utmost health and vigour. 



Mr. Hollingshead, whom I have before mentioned, and who 

 studied this subject for many years, remarks, that " Those 

 farmers who reside near the sea-shore, might derive consider- 

 able advantage from watering their grounds with sea-water, or 

 sowing them with sand from the beach, below high water-mark, 

 during the spring and autumn, as the particles of salt contained 

 therein would be a great benefit. Fruit-trees," says he, " and 

 the hop plant should also be sprinkled with sea-water, or have 

 salt or sea-sand laid about them at some distance from their 

 stems. The cotton-tree and sugar-cane, in the West Indies, 

 would also derive considerable advantage from this mode of 

 treatment." Page 2 1 . 



There is a very striking experiment on record, which was 

 made by the late Mr. Gilbert, steward to the late Duke of 

 Bridgewater, on the effect of common salt upon apple-trees ; 

 and from my own knowledge of that gentleman, I have no 

 hesitation in saying, that I believe the account may be strictly 

 relied upon. This gentleman, who was not only steward to the 

 Duke, but also a large salt manufacturer, had an estate conti- 

 guous to his salt-pits at Wincham in Cheshire, on which was an 



