ON MANURES. 151 



springs, or from mines. It cannot, therefore, be strictly called 

 a mineral, unless when found in the state of rock-salt ; yet, 

 partaking of the nature of that fossil, and not having liere to 

 consider its effects in any other light than as a manure, we 

 deem it unnecessary to enter upon any discussion of its pe- 

 culiar properties when manufactured, and shall, therefore, 

 confine our observations to its effects upon the soil. 



It has been represented as operating as a manure upon 

 arable land by its tendency to promote putrefaction, as well as 

 by stimulating the powers of vegetation, through its absorption 

 of moisture from the atmosphere; as being destructive of weeds 

 and insects, and a preventive of rust; as improving tbe herb- 

 age of grass-land, destroying the moss, and rendering fodder 

 palatable which would be otherwise refused by cattle ; and as 

 acting as a condiment conducive to the health of all animals. 

 It has been successfully applied ^o some soils under peculiar 

 circumstances; yet, except in cases where its use has been 

 rather governed by local facilities than by any conviction 

 of its real value, farmers do not • appear to have generally 

 availed themselves of its advantages as a manure, though it 

 is gradually creeping into use for live stock. It is, indeed, 

 admitted on all hands to be noxious to the whole tribe of slugs, 

 and worms of that description, though we have yet no proof 

 which can be relied on of its preventing the ravages of the fly 

 on turnips; its effects in correcting the faults of sour pasturage 

 and spoiled fodder seem also to rest upon grounds which can 

 hardly be doubted.* There are also proofs of its power in 

 checking the rust in corn ; for although that disease has been 

 generally attributed to the varying changes of the atmosphere, 

 yet it was stated in the evidence of Dr. Paris before the Salt 

 Committee, that it was the practice of many farmers in Corn- 

 wall to spread about 30 bushels of salt, the refuse of the pilchard 

 fishery, weighing 56 lbs. each, per statute acre upon their 

 land, a fortnight previous to the sowing of turnips; and they 

 all agreed that they never had any rust on the following crop 

 of wheat where this was adopted, though before they were 

 greatly affected by it. In the course of a very minute inquiry 



* Salt destroys vermin by making them void the contents of their bodies ; 

 such evacuations being too powerful for them to withstand. — Lord Dundon- 

 ald on Chemical Aerie, p. 138. .See an experiment in proof of this, in the 

 .Farmer's Magazine, vol. xviii. p. 440, in which it is stated that grubs, full 

 of food, when placed in fresh earth in which some young roots of grass were 

 transplanted after being very slightly pickled with common salt, were in 24 

 hours reduced to mere skins, and two out of three dead. 

 N 



