[201]

Gardeners' Chron. & Ag. Gazette 1845 p 157 Sprengel on common salt as a manure, says "In the soil it is only liable to decomposition, if it remains long in contact with carbonate of lime, in which case carbonate of soda & chloride of calcium will be formed."─

[South America, pp. 52-3: "It is known that carbonate of lime and common salt left in a mass together,† and slightly moistened, partially decompose each other: now we have at San Lorenzo and at Iquique, in the shells and salt packed together, and occasionally moistened by the so-called Peruvian dew, the proper elements for this action
† Sprengel (Gardeners' Chron. 1845, p. 157) states, that salt and carbonate of lime are liable to mutual decomposition in the soil. Sir H. Delabeche informs me, that calcareous rocks, washed by the spray of the sea, are often corroded in a peculiar manner; see also on this latter subject Gardeners' Chron. p. 675, 1844."]