THE AFTER-EFFECTS OF THE HIGH TIDE. 85 



salt water was harmful to submerged crops, the salt left after 

 the flood receded, and, especially when incorporated with the 

 soil, was not directh' injurious to subsequent crops. 



The indirect action of the salt water was, however, very 

 marked. The earth worms were killed off, and were seen after 

 the inundation strewn upon the ground, and were quickly con- 

 sumed by the gulls. It is only now, after nearly two years, that 

 young worms are beginning to re-appear. 



But the injury, say the authors, was more far-reaching than 

 this. For some time after the flood, the soil was in a remark- 

 ably good condition, the reason for this being that the immediate 

 effect of salt is to granulate gelatinous clay, in the same way 

 that salts of lime are known to do. The condition of the soil, 

 however, gradually altered until it became difficult to work, in 

 dry weather hard and "cindery," and in wet the water per- 

 colated through the soil to the drains only half as rapidly as was 

 the case on the unflooded land. In order to ascertain the 

 chemical changes that occurred to render the flooded soil more 

 gelatinous, samples of the flooded and unflooded soils were 

 analysed, when it was discovered that the amount of lime, mag- 

 nesia, potash, and soda was less by one-fifth in the clay from the 

 former than in that from the latter. These effects appear to be 

 due to the chemical action of the chlorides of the sea water upon 

 the double silicates of the soil, which are decomposed, the 

 silicate of alumina being left behind in a gelatinous condition. 

 The writers conclude that one effect of the salt has been to 

 eliminate the lime and other bases from the clay, and hence the 

 unworkable and infertile condition of the soil. 



The means by which the excess of salt might be removed 

 formed an interesting point for investigation. In course of time 

 it would certainly be eliminated by cropping, but evidence shows 

 that this process is too slow and expensive to be solely depended 

 on. Other methods must be employed, and the effectual and 

 practicable ones appear to be thorough cultivation and drainage. 

 By keeping the drains in proper working condition, the salt, 

 being very soluble in water, is rea:dily carried away by rainfall. 

 As showing the effects of rain in a thoroughly drained soil in 

 removing salt, the writers mention that, in an experiment made 

 in the laboratory, it was found that i^ in. of rain water, when 

 allowed to filter through Gin. of the soil from the flooded arable 

 land at Wallasea, was more than sufficient to remove almost 

 every trace of salt. Of course, as is pointed out, the elimination 



