A FORTNIGHTLY REVIEW 



OF THE 



IMPERIAL DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE WEST INDIES. 



Vol. XVIII. No. 456. 



BARBADOS, OCTOBER 18, 1919. 



Pkiox Id. 



CONTENTS. 



Salt and the Growth of Coastland 

 Plants. 



LARGE proportion of the cultivated land 

 in the West Indies lies around the sea- 

 «^_, ^„^ coast. On it we find cultivated, sugar- 

 cane, cotton and coco nuts principally, and growiag 

 wild, down to the margin of the sea, a well-defined 

 flora of salt-loving or salt-tolerating plants which 

 — botanists include under the general term of halophytes 



The soil in which these plants grow— not only the 

 true halophytes but also the cultivated crops— inu.ib 



periodically become impregnated with salt. It may, 

 therefore, prove interesting to consider the relation 

 of salt to the growth of halophytes, and the cultivated 

 crops mentioned 



The coco-nut forms an interesting study in this 

 connexion, for this plant will toler.<vte considerable 

 quantities of salt; and at the same time thrive equally 

 well in its absence. The widespread belief that the 

 coco- nut needs salt for its development is unfounded. 

 Copeland(') states: 'I do not know of any good 

 evidence that the' coco-nut demands salt for its best 



development the coco-nut roots can indeed 



endure considerable salt but the fact that 



the coco-nut can endure salt-water is by no means 

 a proof that it needs it.' 



Coco-nut toots are peculiar. They have no root 

 hairs. Water is absorbed through a small region 

 behind the root-cap. According to Copeland, 'the 

 coco-nut must be said to have a root system ill-adapted 

 to the absorption of large quantities of water, 

 but its structure enables it to endure saltness and 

 dryness which would be fatal to most other plantsi 

 Beach soil usually contains no salt, except in such 

 minute quantities as chemical analysis will detect in 

 all soils; but it sometimes happens, as a result of 

 storms, that the beach is temporarily filled with sea- 

 ■.vater. This would kill any plant with ordinary roots, 

 but does the coco-nut practically no harm at all' 



