THE USE OF SALT IN AGRICULTURE. 
269 
stated that he found salt to prevent the rot in 
sheep; and Sir John Sinclair and many others 
had given evidence to the same effect. 
Professor Simonds then alluded to the solubil¬ 
ity of common salt, and its passage into the 
stomach and intestinal canal, its absorption into 
the system by the veins, its action on the liver, 
and the supply of soda it yielded to the bile; 
thus leading to a greater amount of nutriment 
being derived from the food. Sheep, living on 
pastures giving them the rot, were found to re¬ 
cover when they had access to salt; and he 
thought the probable cause of sheep not rotting 
on salt marshes, and recovering when put on 
them, was the healthy stimulus thus communi¬ 
cated by the salt to the liver of the animals, by 
which that organ was guarded from disease, and 
its functions invigorated. Salt, too, was well 
known as a vermifuge, destroying man}/- kinds 
of worms in the intestines of animals, and con¬ 
ferring a healthy tone of action which prevent¬ 
ed their re-occurrence. He then alluded to the 
prophylactic or preservative influence of saline 
impregnation against marsh exhalations, and its 
power of destroying the poison of those rpias- 
mata, as shown by Dr. Stevens, in his work on 
the blood, where reference is made to the fact, 
that, at Salina, in Genesee county, near Oneida 
Lake, New York, all the individuals in and about 
some salt works, situate in the midst of a marshy 
district, escaped from the attacts of marsh fever, 
while the population around them suffered. 
Colonel Challoner’s attention was called to 
the value of salt about fifteen years ago, by the 
late Earl Spencer; and since that time, he had 
invariably used it for his cattle, which, in con¬ 
sequence, had attained to a better condition of 
flesh than they had done when no salt was giv¬ 
en them. His Devons were the best cattle on 
his farm, and they consumed the largest quan¬ 
tity of that substance. 
Mr. Fisher Hobbs had little more to state on 
that occasion than he had stated when the sub¬ 
ject was discussed by the council a few months 
previously. He agreed with Colonel Challoner, 
that those of his animals which had the most 
salt did best, and even pined after it when it was 
withheld from them. He did not consider that 
it acted simply as a manure on grain crops; but 
it stiffened and brightened the straw, and caused 
it to ripen from two to five days earlier than it 
otherwise had done. In the case of root crops, 
it was more beneficial to mangold wurtzel than 
to turnips; and in fact, that great caution was 
required in its application to the turnip plant, 
which was easily injured by injudicious use, on 
account of its great effect on the vitality of that 
plant. It increased the size of the mangold 
bulbs, and caused the plant to retain its fertil¬ 
ising character during dry seasons. He applied 
the pilchard-fishery salt broadcast on each side 
of the plants, in July, either alone, (in particular 
seasons,) or mixed with ashes or guano, (which 
improve it,) and then scarifying it. The frost 
had less effect on the salted than on the unsalt¬ 
ed portions of his land; and by its means, light 
soil becomes more retentive of moisture, and 
more adherent and compact in its character. 
His land was variable, consisting principally of 
sand, gravel, and mixed soil. The fishery salt 
he employed was nearly of the same price as 
the ordinary salt of commerce, and it contained 
oil and animal matter derived from the fish. 
The wireworm died in it. In conclusion, he 
considered salt to be very beneficial to the soil, 
either alone or in a state of mixture with other 
subsances. 
The Rev. A. Huxtable was rather for leaving 
off salt. Those of his sheep which had the most 
of that substance were the least improved in 
their weight; in fact, one ewe, very fond of salt, 
had become a mere skeleton from taking it in 
excess. He found that his animals were much 
purged by the use of salt. His milch cows, how¬ 
ever, requiring more flesh than fat, were much 
benefited by it. Roots were much used by 
him, and he continued the use of salt with great 
effect as a manure for their growth; indeed, in 
this respect, he could not do without it, especi¬ 
ally in the case of his mangolds and carrots, for 
the latter of which, being a sweet root, of which 
all insects were fond, it acted as a shield against 
depredation for these crops. He drilled it in 
with ashes and urine. He mixed a saturated 
solution of salt, with dissolved bones, and found 
it produced a more pasty and decomposed sub¬ 
stance. His soils were gravel, clay, and chalk. 
Mr. Fisher Hobbs thought it probable that the 
circumstance of Mr. Huxtable’s sheep being shut 
up when the salt was given to them, was the 
cause of their purging; for he had known it to 
be the common practice in Leicestershire some 
years ago, when the sheep had a purging upon 
them, to get them into a fold, and give each of 
them half a handful of salt as soon as the diar¬ 
rhoea made its appearance. This practice he 
had himself usually adopted with success, and 
he believed it to be common amongst flock 
masters. 
Hon. R. H. Clive, the chairman, when travel¬ 
ling abroad, had noticed in the middle of hotel 
yards, where relays took place, a large block 
