FARMERS' Rfc:GISTER— DECOMPOSED SALT. 



387 



"The decomposition of salt is very easily effect- 

 ed for its use in the arts, and for chemical experi- 

 ment. Muriatic acid is extracted from salt b\ 

 employing; the sulphuric, which latter, having a 

 greater affinity for its other constituent soda, enters 

 into con)bination with it, while the former is set at 

 liberty. 



"The extrication of snda from salt has been ac- 

 complished by the an-encv of red oxide of lead, 

 and for the process a Mr. Turner, many years ago, 

 ob';\ine:'d a patent. There are, I believe, some 

 otiier methods of dissolving the union between the 

 component parls of salt, which are had recourse 

 to, for their employment in some of our manufac- 

 tures, but I never heard that any of them were 

 considered capable of rendering the article availa- 

 ble to agriculture. For this purpose they are far 

 too expensive. As a general fi?rtilizer of the 

 earth, its wholesale application requires that its 

 preparation should be accomplished in a very 

 cheap and simple way. When millions of acres 

 are to have their productions greatly increased by 

 the aiils of' artificial manures, cheapness will, of 

 course, be regarded as a leading requisite. This 

 will be found a striking characteristic in the mode 

 pursued in the present instance, for the expense of 

 its preparation does not very materially enhance 

 the first cost of it. 



" Always fond of experimental farming," con- 

 tinues Mr. Kemp, " I have taken great pleasure in 

 making comparative trials of the efficacy and 

 value of different manures. The article of barilla 

 having been employed with this view, and aflbrd- 

 ing very decisive proof that it possessed the re- 

 quisite properties in a high degree, it was inferred 

 that its operation was consequent on the soda 

 \vliich this substance is known so largely to pos- 

 sess. Now, this circumstance first suggested the 

 idea of the decomposition of salt, because, if the 

 soda of barilla could act beneficially on vegetation, 

 why should not the soda, so abundant in salt, be 

 equally efficacious? It appeared probable, there- 

 fore, if the union between its constituent principles 

 could be destroyed, or a perfect decomposition se- 

 cured, and while the soda was thus at liberty, a 

 new compound be formed with the chlorine, which 

 should deprive it of its injurious qualities as a free 

 acid, that salt, thus prepared, would yield facilities, 

 from its cheapness, for increasing the productive- 

 ness of the earth beyond any thing hitherto 

 known." 



This decomposed salt has been applied as ma- 

 nure to every species of agricultural plant, and 

 found to exercise extraordinary mfluence on every 

 kind of soil. " It is scarcely necessary," says Mr. 

 Kemp, " that I should enter into very minute de- 

 tails of the effects produced by prepared salt upon 

 every description of crop. Nearly all the varieties 

 of plants known as agricultural, have been sub- 

 mitted to its action, and, without any exception 

 that I am aware of, have fully demonstrated its 

 great stimulating powers. Corn, pulse roots, and 

 grass, have all attested by their great luxuriance 

 and increased produce, the force and energy of 

 this manure. The multiplied varieties of the culi- 

 nary and flower garden have also borne witness to 

 the general efficacy of prepared salt; and though I 

 am aware that the superior culture usually bestow- 

 ed on these departments hinders them from offer- 

 ing so unequivocal a test as fields that are worn 

 and exhausted by corn, yet the superior health 



and vigor of ever)- thing to which it was applied ir 

 the gardens, afforded the strongest evidence fbi 

 concluding that its agency may be as universal a"- 

 dung, or any other great assistant of vegetation." 



The efficacy of this decomposed salt has also 

 been tried comparatively with bone-dust, dung, oil- 

 cake, and whale-blubber, and its results are supe- 

 rior to any of them. 



Mr. Kemp, we suspect, hardly does justice to 

 bone-dust. It is no doubt more suited to a dry soil 

 or a dry subsoil than a heavy; but the experience 

 of this country from the Tweed to the Grampians, 

 a space which embraces every variety of soil, has 

 proved its value as a raiser of turnips beyond a 

 doubt. Turnij^s are not raised on strong clajs, 

 and of course bones are never ai^plied to them. 

 As to sheep being affected with the rot by eatino- 

 bone turnip, we cannot believe; because a bone 

 turnip is always harder and more astringent than 

 one raised with dung. We suspect "the worthy 

 farmer" was trying the extent of Mr. Kemp's 

 faith in this matter. Should sucli, however, be 

 the fact, we should like to see it authenticated. 

 The particular instance adduced by the farmer is 

 no proof of the fact, for we have seen the nature 

 of the subsoil afl'ect the feeding quality of the tur- 

 nip more than manures. In this country, sixteen 

 bushels of bone-dust are quite sufficient for the 

 imperial acre, which cost just two pounds; and i 

 the bone-dust is mixed with ashes, half that quan- 

 tity will serve. 



Mr. Kemp recommends an excellent method o 

 mixing the viscid whale-blubber with soft saw-dust 

 at 25 bushels per acre; but where is saw-dust to bf 

 obtained in such quantities? A friend of ours fo 

 a long period used a great quantity of blubbe. 

 every year. His practice was to mix it with earth, 

 by making a bed of' earth like the plasterer's bed 

 of sand and lime before the water is poured in. 

 The blubber, thus mixed stood about a year and a 

 half, and was then applied as top-dressing to old 

 grass. The benefits were great, every plant of 

 moss being extirpated by it. Green blubber will 

 injure any growing crop by hs causticity; and 

 even a compost formed on grass will affect the 

 ground so as not a particle of vegetation will grow 

 upon it for years. We have heard of a similar 

 effect being produced by brimstone. A vessel 

 partly laden with brimstone from Messina to Leith, 

 was stranded on the English coast near the Co- 

 quet Island. The brimstone, 50 or 60 tons, was 

 taken out and piled in a heap on a f.iece of old 

 grass. It lay there for three months till the vessel 

 was repaired. For fifteen years not a jilant would 

 grow upon the spot occupied by it. 



Mr. Kemp makes some very judicious remarks 

 on planting, and proves the beneficial effects of 

 manure on the growth of trees. Many an acre of 

 ground has been planted in a state utterly unfit for 

 the purpose. Nothing but a set of diseased rick- 

 etty sticks, offensive to the eye, grievous to the 

 heart, and unprofitable to the [:ockets of the pro- 

 prietor, could be expected from such management. 

 Many a tree plant, which has cost much care in 

 the nursery, has been cruelly starved to death in 

 the moorland. 



In the application of decomposed salt, Mr. 

 Kemp says, one ton is sufficient for three acres. 

 By the help of three horses, three men will sow of 

 salt and seed eight or ten acres of turnips in a day 

 with a drill-machine, but with a broadcast one, 



