280 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST., 
peared that the plants were seriously affected, 
more so even than in the preceding years. 
Nevertheless such was the variety of circum¬ 
stances under which my observations were 
made that I was able to ascertain by exami¬ 
nations, as well on a large as on a small 
scale, that my theory of caloric influence 
explained every phenomenon satisfactorily 
established. Thus it appears quite certain 
that all valleys having large streams of 
water, and so situate as to be exposed during 
winter to cold northerly winds, are more or 
less free from the ravages in question. The 
north slopes of hills are generally free also, 
and certain elevated tracts of country, 
whether in the south or middle of France, 
suffer but little, unless it be in those spots 
which are sheltered by irregularities in the 
soil. Comptes Rendus. 
^merkait ^grialtarki 
New-York, Thursday, July 12. 
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This paper is never sent where it is 
not considered paid for—and is in all cases 
stopped ivhen the subscription runs out. 
We occasionally send a number to persons 
who are not subscribers. This is sometimes 
done as a compliment, and in other cases to 
invite examination. Those receiving such 
numbers are requested to look them over, and 
if convenient show them to a neighbor. 
THE TRIBUNE ON SALT. 
The literary ability with which this cotem¬ 
porary is conducted, gives a currency to its 
agricultural department that it would never 
have attained had that department depended 
entirely on its own merits. For this reason 
we are under the necessity of occasionally 
noticing some of its peculiarities. In the 
issue of June 17th, we find an editorial on 
salt, closing with these words ; 
“ Salt as a medicine is but little known. 
A teaspoonful dissolved will serve as a good 
emetic; and homeopathic doses will often 
cure sickness at the stomach. It is good for 
colic, and very valuable as a reviver of a 
person stunned by a fall. In apoplexy, salt 
is good internally and externally. Bathing 
in salt water has cured many invalids. Salt 
is as good to kill worms in the intestines as 
it is in land. In our every-day diet, how¬ 
ever, we use salt to excess.” 
We are unable to obtain from this disser¬ 
tation any very clear ideas of the relation of 
salt to the animal system, and we are not 
sure that the writer had any. His concep¬ 
tions are about as well founded as those of 
the man who got up in the night to see what 
the weather was, and by mistake opening 
the wrong window, thrust his head into the 
pantry, and told his wife it was very dark 
out of doors and smelt like cheese. 
It is true that a bucket full of salt water 
poured down a man, after the fashion of 
sailors in “ crossing the line,” will make the 
unfortunate recipient of it throw up the con¬ 
tents of the stomach; but we were not aware 
that a teaspoonful would have any such ef¬ 
fect. Pereira, we see, is equally behind in 
this matter, since he mentions two or three 
ra5/e-spoonfuls as necessary for an emetic. 
As to the homeopathic doses spoken of, 
we are in the habit of using them daily—in 
fact we may say, almost hourly; for as all 
the methods of washing culinary and drink¬ 
ing utensils are mere processes of dilution, 
and as the fiftieth dilution is more potent 
than any of a less figure, it follows not only 
that a vessel that has once contained salt 
can never be freed from the impregnation, 
but that each successive rinsing adds strength 
to the solutions—yet we have never noticed 
any very marked effect from these homeo¬ 
pathic doses of salt. 
In reality, there is no such entity as dis¬ 
ease to be cast out of the system, as a devil 
is exorcised. There is no line to which we 
can say all is right, and beyond which all is 
wrong. The dominion of Pathology extends 
into the region of Physiology, and the wis¬ 
dom of God in the laws of disease is as man¬ 
ifest as in the laws of health. The whole 
catalogue of specifics has been reduced to 
not more than half a dozen—such as qui¬ 
nine for ague, and sulphur for itch—though 
the general belief in them still continues, to 
the profit of nostrum-venders. But, to this 
particular “ cure.” 
It is not always advisable to relieve nau¬ 
sea, even if we could, as it may be better to 
let it “ come up.” A man fills his stomach 
with green vegetables, and when enough of 
their undigested or poisonous properties has 
been absorbed into his system to produce an 
effect, he becomes “ sick at the stomach,” 
and Nature signifies an intention to evacu¬ 
ate the surplus. Sometimes there results 
an immediate clearance upwards or down¬ 
wards, or both, forming an attack of cholera 
morbus. And at other times it happens that 
the stomach becomes settled, and there is a 
labored digestion of the offending matter, 
with colic-pains and constipation. Now to 
the man who is about to throw up these 
crude contents of the stomach, the Tribune 
runs with the fraction of a drop of sea-water, 
to keep him from vomiting. But what if he 
should vomit ? Is there any shorter or more 
direct method of cure 1 Physicians are not 
always out of their heads when they direct 
an emetic for vomiting, or physic for diar¬ 
rhea, for these are the processes by which 
nature expels offensive matters from the 
system, and it is frequently advisable to en¬ 
courage them. But homeopathic doses of 
salt are not worth consideration—they 
amount to nothing one way or the other. 
To the man with colic, the Tribune also 
carries salt; though we are not informed 
whether it is a teaspoonful or a ten millionth 
part of a grain; nor are we told in what way 
it is used or how it acts. Fortunately for 
humanity, the natural tendency of nine-tenths 
of diseases is to produce health, so that life 
does not depend on any particular system of 
medication. 
We are further informed, that salt may be 
made serviceable to a person “ stunned by a 
fall,” but by a very careless omission, we 
are not told how to use it. So in apoplexy, 
we are merely advised as if we knew all the 
details, or as if they could be obtained from 
any “ doctor-book,” to use salt both “ inter¬ 
nally and externally,” while invalids general¬ 
ly are in a very every-day sort of a way di¬ 
rected to be put in pickle. This is quite too 
vague for the use of so important a medi¬ 
cine. Humanity, suffering and dying around 
us, demands of the Tribune that full partic¬ 
ulars as to methods of use should be speed¬ 
ily given, for tve are sure that that paper 
only has a knowledge of some of the discov¬ 
eries here announced. 
Men once wondered how any body could 
“ die with plenty of sage in the garden.” 
The Tribune would have us believe that salt 
may be, after all, equal in medical virtue to 
sage. 
As to the worm part of this article, we 
can only say, a friend informs us that he 
has found the wire-worm, “ alive and kick¬ 
ing,” in the “ lime and salt mixture,” at the 
end of a week. 
There is one other use of salt, omitted in 
the Tribune’s enumeration, that is quite as 
well authenticated as some of those given. 
It is “good” to put on the tails of naughty 
birds that won’t be caught, and for this pur¬ 
pose it is to be used in doses of a pinch or 
so, deposited in cauda. 
But the last sentence of the article, is 
rather incongruous to the rest. It damps 
our enthusiasm a little ; yet it may be that 
it only secures the previous part in some 
way, like the clinching of a nail. It reminds 
one of the old continental story, of an Aid 
who rode post haste, carrying a valise be¬ 
fore him and another behind him, and who, 
when asked what was in the front valise, 
replied it “ contained orders, and the back 
valise the counter orders, and that he was 
in a great hurry for fear he should be too 
late.” It destroys the first sentence which 
contains the gist of the article, so that the 
whole is rendered of no force ; for any sub¬ 
stance must be used in such doses as shall 
produce sensible effects, in order to become 
a medicine. 
The relation that salt holds to the internal 
economy of animals, is of an exceedingly 
intricate character. It is supposed to be 
connected w T ith the amount of non-azotized 
matters in the food, with the amount of 
drink required, with the amount of perspira¬ 
tion, with the amount of gastric juice, with 
the amount of bile, and with certain peculi¬ 
arities in the constitution of the urine ; and 
we believe that the full relations of so sim¬ 
ple a substance as common salt can be dis¬ 
closed only under the light of a complete 
system of Physiology in the “good time 
coming.” 
Cherry Currants. —Mr. Chas. Starr, Jr., 
of No. 117 Fulton-street, has shown us a 
bunch of the cherry currants, grown at his 
residence in Tarrytown, which exceeds in 
size of berry any thing we have seen in the 
currant line. The bunch was said to be an 
average one on a young bush, set last sum¬ 
mer, and contains a dozen berries, some of 
them measuring 1J inches in circumference, 
and the average size is full li inches,, 
