I 
The Species are, 
Sa lsqla ( liali ) herbacea decumbens, folks fubula- 
tis fpinofis, calycibus rnarginatis axillaribus. Lin. Sp. 
Plant. 222. Herbaceous trailing Salfola with awl-fhaped 
prickly leaves , and e?npalements proceeding from the fides 
of the folks . Kali fpinofum foliis craffioribus & bre- 
vioribus. Tragum. Matth. 1035. Prickly Glajfwort 
with fhort er and thicker leaves. 
2. Salsola {Tragus) herbacea erects, foliis fubulatis 
fpinofis lsevibus, calycibus ovatis. Plerbaceous Salfola 
with dml-Jhaped prickly leaves , and oval empalements. 
Kali fpinofum, foliis longioribus & anguftioribus. 
Tourn. drift. R. H. 247. Pr ickly Glajfwort with longer 
and narrower leaves. 
3. Salsola (Soda) herbacea, foliis inermibus. Guett. 
Stamp. 426. Herbaceous Salfola with fmooth leaves. Ka- 
li majus cochleato femme. C. B. P. 287. Greater Glajf- 
wort with a cochleated leaf. 
4. Salsola (, Vermiculata ) frutefcens, foliis ovatis acutis 
carnofis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 223. Shrubby Salfola with 
oval, fiejhy, acute-pointed leaves. Kali fruticofum Hif- 
panicum, tamarifci folio. Tourn. Inft. R. H. 247. 
Shrubby Spanijh Glajfwort with a T amarifk leaf. 
h>. Salsola ( Rofacea ) herbacea, foliis fubulatis mu- 
cronatis, calycibus explanatis. Lin. Sp. Plant. 222. 
Herbaceous Salfola with pointed awl-fhaped leaves , and 
fpreading empalements. Kali humile, alis purpureis 
fiorem rofaceum mentientibus. Buxb. Cent. 1. p. 9. 
Dwarf Glajfwort , having purple wings which refemble a 
Rofe flower . 
The firft fort grow snaturally in the falt-marfhes in di- 
vers parts of England •, it is an annual plant, which 
rifes about five or fix inches high, fending out many 
fide branches from the bottom, which fpread on every 
fide ; thefe are garnifhed with fhort awi-fhaped leaves 
which are flefliy, and terminate in acute fpines. The 
flowers are produced from the fides of the branches, 
to which they fit clofe, and are encompafled by fhort 
prickly leaves ; they are fmall, and of an herbaceous 
colour. The feeds are wrapped up in the empale- 
ment of the flower, and ripen in autumn, foon after 
which the plants decay. 
The fecond fort grows naturally on the fandy fhores 
of the fouth of France, Spain, and Italy ; this is alfo 
an annual plant, which fends out many diffufed 
ftalks a foot and a half long, which are garnifhed 
with linear leaves an inch long, ending with fharp 
fpines. The flowers come out from the fide of the 
ftalks in the fame manner as thofe of the former ; 
their empalements are blunt, and not fo clofely en- 
compafled with leaves as thofe of the other. 
The third fort rifes with herbaceous ftalks near three 
feet high, fending out hoary branches their whole 
length, which at bottom fpread out wide, but to- 
ward the top they are fhort. The leaves on the 
principal ftalk, and thofe on the lower part of the 
branches, are long, flender, and have no fpines •, thofe 
on the upper part of the ftalk and branches are flen- 
der, fhort, and crooked. At the bafe of the leaves 
are produced the flowers, which are fmall and hardly 
perceptible ; the empalement of the flower afterward 
encompafles the capiule, which contains one cochle- 
ated feed. This fort in warm countries produces its 
flowers in June, and the feeds ripen in Auguft ; but 
in this country the plants fcarce ever flower, unlefs 
the fummer is very warm. This plant is cultivated 
about Montpelier in falt-marfhes, in order to make 
fal alkali. 
The fourth fort grows naturally in Spain; this hath 
fhrubby perennial ftalks which rife three or four feet 
high, fending out many fide branches, which are gar- 
nifhed with fieihy, oval, acute-pointed leaves, coming 
out in c! niters from the fide of the branches ; they are 
hoary, and have no ftiff prickles. The flowers are 
produced from between the leaves toward the ends of 
the branches ; they are fo fmall as fcarce to be dif- 
cerned, unlefs they are clofely viewed. The feeds 
are like thofe of the other kinds. 
The fifth fort grows naturally in Tartary ; this is an 
annual plant whole v ftalks are herbaceous, and feb 
dom rife more than five or fix inches high. The 
leaves are awl-fhaped, ending in acute points ; the 
flowers are fmall, and of a Rofe colour, but foon fade ; 
the feeds are like thofe of the other forts. 
All the forts of Glaffwort are fometimes promifcu- 
oufly ufed for making the fal alkali, but it is the 
third fort which is efteemed beft for 'this purpofe. 
The manner of making it is as follows : having dug 
a trench near the fea, they lay laths acrofs it, on 
which they lay the herb in heaps, and having made a 
fire below, the liquor which runs out of the herbs 
drops to the bottom, which at length thickening be- 
comes fal alkali, which is partly "of a black, : and 
partly of an A fit colour, very fharp and corrofive,’ and 
of a fakifh tafte. This, when thoroughly hardened, 
becomes like a ftone, and is there called foude or 
fode. It is tranfported from thence to other coun- 
tries for making of glafs. 
SALT is a foffil body, fufible by fire, and congeala- 
ble again, in the cold, into brittle glebes or cryftals ; 
foluble withal in water, fo as to difappear therein ; 
never malleable, and having fomething in it, which, to 
the organ of tafte, affords a fenfation of acrimony and 
fharpnefs. 
Dr. Grew fuppofes. That the chief governing prin- 
ciple in the juices of plants is the faline or Salt, 
which faline principle is to be underftood as a gene- 
ral term. The vegetable Salts feem to be four, viz. 
the nitrous, the acid, the alkaline, and the marine. 
The nitrous Salts feem by nature to be afllgned chiefly 
to the growth of plants, and the other three Salts are 
exhibited by the leveral ways of refolving the princi- 
ples of a plant. 
Salt is accounted a good drefling for cold lands, be- 
caufe the nature of it is fuch, that the drier and hot- 
ter it is kept, the more it keeps its own body, and 
does not turn to water : but when it Hands in a cold 
moift place, in a little time it diffolves to water, and, 
when turned to water, is fit for the nourifhment and 
feeding of plants, efpecially annuals. 
The reafon why Salt, viz. Salt water, is accounted a 
feeder of plants, is, that it has been often obferved 
that Salt falling on a board, &c. will be long drying ; 
and, if it has been dried by heat, dews, or rain, will 
make it moift again, and then it fleams forth, and 
that is it which nourifhes all plants ; but, if it be up- 
on a hot and dry ground, late in the fpring, and dry 
weather comes, it does not, nor can yield its fleam 
or fume. 
Pigeons dung is by many efteemed good for cold lands, 
becaufe it is hotter and falter than any other dung, it 
being natural to pigeons to eat Salt, for they fly to 
the fea fide early on mornings to pick up the Salt, 
which the heat of the fun makes by drying up the 
Salt water, and leaves upon the fand. 
The Rev. Dr. Hales, in his excellent Treatife of Ve- 
getation, obferves, that plants are of a lefs durable 
texture, as they abound with a greater proportion of 
Salt and water, which is not fo ftrongly attradled as 
fulphur and air, fo they are the lefs able to endure the 
cold ; and, as plants are obferved to have a greater 
proportion of Salt and water in them in the fpring 
than in autumn, they are moreeafily injured by cold 
in the fpring, than in a more advanced age, when 
their quantity of oil is increafed, with their greater 
maturity. 
Whence we find, that nature’s chief bufinefs in bring- 
ing the parts of a vegetable, efpecially its fruit and 
feed, to a maturity, is to combine together, in a due 
proportion, the more adtive and noble principles of 
fulphur and air, that chiefly conftitute oil, which in 
its moft refined ftate is never found without fame de- 
gree of earth and Salt in it. 
Common Salt, if it could be obtained at a reafona- 
ble rate, would be an excellent drefling for moft 
lands, but the exorbitant duty which is laid upon it, 
renders it too expenfive to be ufed for this purpofe, 
fo that it is needlefs to mention its ufefulnefs. 
SALVIA, 
