4 3 



chlorine which it contains. Whatever may be the 

 direct cause, it is evident that we have in salt an 

 agency which can be used to check the growth, even 

 up to the extent of destroying the life of the plant. 

 This is a most important agency, and when more fully 

 understood will be more generally utilized. In the 

 processes of cultivation, the necessity for this influence 

 often arises. Take, for instance, our corn crops. If 

 the land be too highly manured, these crops have a 

 tendency to produce straw rather than corn, the grassy 

 character of the plant being thus unduly encouraged. 

 This growth of the straw is often too rapid to allow of 

 the plant bringing up the necessary supplies of mineral 

 matter, for securing a strong straw. The first disad- 

 vantage is seen in a large growth of weak straw, which 

 has not sufficient strength to stand whilst the seed 

 is being formed. If this difficulty should be sur- 

 mounted, then this tendency to continue the growth 

 of straw, often prevents the formation of a good ear of 

 corn. Every farmer knows the dangers resulting 

 from an overgrowth of straw ; but whilst avoiding this 

 danger, it is generally desirable for him to have his 

 land in such high condition that he may be safe for a 

 good crop of corn. He has therefore to adopt such a 

 medium course, as local experience indicates to be 

 most likely to secure a good produce of corn, without 

 an overgrowth of straw. An unusually wet season, 

 however, frequently upsets the best calculations, the 

 crop suffers, and yields an inferior quality of corn. 

 Salt is frequently found valuable in such cases, by the 

 check it gives to the growth of straw, and the greater 

 strength gained by the straw in consequence of this 

 impeded growth. It may therefore be generally 

 considered as shortening and strengthening the 

 growth of the straw. 



91. In like manner, when nitrate of soda has been 

 freely used upon growing corn, there is an energetic 

 growth of the straw, which continues during the for- 



