CHLORINE. 297 



745. Beautiful crystals of common salt 



How may crys- . . .. ' , .. 



tals of salt be may be obtained by gradually evaporating 

 obtained? a saturale( j solution. This will be accom- 

 plished by keeping it for some time moderately warm, 

 on a stove or in the sun. The crys- 

 tals are shaped as represented in the 

 figure, and are made of innumerable 

 smaller cubes, which build them- 

 selves regularly upon the edges as the larger crystals 

 sinks little by little into the solution. 



746. USES OF COMMON SALT. The use 



How does salt 



act to preserve of common salt in preserving the flesh of 

 fl esh? animals from decay, depends in part on 



the fact that it extracts from the flesh a large propor- 

 tion of water. It thus, to a certain extent, dries them. 

 This action will be immediately observed if a little 

 salt be sprinkled upon flesh. It will speedily draw 

 out the juices of the meat, and itself disappear, by dis- 

 solving in them. 



ffowmucksait 747 ' SEA WATER. Every pound of sea 



is contained in water contains from one-half to five- 

 sea water ? in 



the water of eighths of an ounce of salt. The greater 

 theDeadSea? part of thig is c hl or ide of sodium or com- 

 mon salt. The water of the Dead Sea contains a 

 much larger proportion, and is more than an eighth 

 part heavier than pure water. Owing to its greater 

 density, a muscular man floats breast high in it without 

 the least exertion. Fresh eggs, which sink in sea 

 water, float in that of the Dead Sea, with one-third of 

 their length above the surface. 



13* 



