Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1884-02-23
Farmers, Read
Col. A. :. Mcwhirler

III Tue interest OF our farmers i lay
before you, for your careful considera>
tion, few facts coming under my own
personal observation. refer to tie
beneficial application Of salt on certain
plants. Every gardener knows the
benefit of salt on asparagus plants, IL"
one can raise them to perfection with>
out it. How many of our farmers and
gardeners have tried and failed to raise
raspberries, and yet there is no rruit
that j. more readily raised than they.
Conversing with a well known nursery.
man Of our State, not long ago, on this
subject, he remarked: IF can keep
rust from raspberries, am able to
make more on ten acres Of this fruit
than any farmer can off Of fifty acres
of cotton." For years | have tried
raspberries and have, after raising one
crop entirely failed. NY vines would
take the rust and die. After experi>
menting with many different remedies,
! tried common salt. Plants that were
covered with this fungus, after apply
ing salt, were restored to their former
vigOr. have applied as much as a
small handful to one vine and have
never seen any but most beneficial re-.
suits For years farmers and scientific
men have known the beneficial results
derived from the application of salt.
Even the old Romans knew this fact.
Another fact that farmers knew long
ago is that salt will make strong stiff
straw. Show me good straw and the
chances are you will make good wheat.
Salt, ashes and lime have proved them.
selves, mixed together, a most excel
lent fertilizer; or the rate of five bush.
els of lime, three of ashes and one Of
salt, they make good top dressing for
all grasses The value of salt for man
and beast is well known. Salt is a NJ.
cessity to the higher animal life. The
best authority in chemistry asserts that
''salt promotes the passage of albumen
to and from the cells by the perpetual
changes which it occasions in the rela
tive densities of the fluids within and
without. The similarity between veg.
etable and animal life is very much the
same. Take, for instance, the stem Of
wheat plant. Here the cellular sar
performs similar function as the blood
in animals. Without going into detail
on this subject, because it does not be
long here, nor is it necessary for oul
object, | call your attention to tn,
function of the cellular sap in plants
more particularly in wheat-how RUS
originates and how prevented.
We all know that without water nc
plant or animal would live; but herr
let me say that water is only an agent
water dissolves the food necessary fo
the nourishment of plant life. TIL,
water in the cellular sap holds in solu
ton sugar, gluten, albumen, acids anC
the different salts. Rust appears near
ly always and does the most harm. Ii
moist, warm weather the leaves, una
bic to carry of, by evaporation, tn,
large influx of matter, the cells becom
overcrowded, and, aided by heat, fer
mentation takes place. Now, if Their
was sufficient solution of salt pres
ent, salt would aid the flowing of thi
sap, and the leaves could carry o.
more readily this Influx, and as ever
one knows that salt stops fermentation
in meat it is naturally to suppose tina
it would do SO with the sap of tn
wheat plant.
/ have endeavcred to show you tn
cause Of rust, now in few short re
marks, l will give you a remedy an
call the attention of the farmers to thi
most important subject, that they b
their OVID practical experiments ma
demonstrate for themselves the valu
Of this simple remedy. Salt in tn
animal keeps the blood limpid, {
promotes the passage of albumen
and from the cells by the perpetuI
changes which it oocasions). MOI
every butcher knows that salt adde
to the blood of slaughtered ANNA
well agitated will keep it from coagula
ing, this shows plainly the power