74 
COMMON SALT AS A POISON TO PLANTS. 
round the edge, and afterwards all over: while the whole 
plant drooped and died. At least 2000 cuttings, in vari- 
ous stages of progress, and 1000 strong healthy plants, had 
been reduced to this condition, including different varieties 
of the fir, cedar, geranium, fuchsia, rose, jasmine and heath. 
The sight of this wholesale destruction, coupled with the 
fact that the whole were daily watered from one particular 
source, suggested the conclusion that the cause of the evil 
must reside in the water thus used ; and this was accord- 
ingly examined. It yielded the following constituents, mak- 
ing in each imperial pint of 20 fluid ounces nearly 9% grains 
of solid matter entirely saline, without any organic admix- 
ture : — 
Carbonate of lime 0.600 
Sulphate of lime - - . - - 0.462 
Chloride of calcium - - - - - 0.200 
Chloride of magnesium - - - - 1.252 
Chloride of sodium 6.906 
9.420 
The mould around the plants and infusion of the dead stems 
and leaves also afforded abundant evidence of the presence 
of much chloride of sodium. Further inquiry showed that 
the well from which the water was procured had an acci- 
dental communication, by means of a drain> with the sea ; 
and thus became mixed with the salt water from that source, 
and had been used in this state for some weeks, probably 
from two to three months. From about that time the plants 
had been observed to droop ; but it was not until nearly the 
whole of a valuable stock had been destroyed, that any ex- 
traordinary cause of the evil was suspected. To place it 
beyond doubt that the water was really the cause of the 
mischief, twelve healthy fuchsias were procured from a dis- 
tance, and divided into two parts, half being watered morn- 
ing and evening with the water in question, and the others 
with rain-water. In a week the six plants watered from 
