The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1850-01-19
iBotash for Akrlcultural Parposes.

Potash for Agricultural Purposes.
We clip the following from an ex-
change paper as containing valuable in
formation for the agricultural public.
A discovery has been made in Ireland
that the granite on tn extent ofaeventy
miles In Wexford, contains so large a
proportion Of potash tina: the AlkalII can
be extracted by chemical process so
as 10 become an article Of commerce.
Il iS estimated that there Wsre 1000 tops
Of potash, the produce Of America con-
sumed annually in England and Scot
land, the present cost Of which Is E40
per ton, and that for Dalkey, which ex'
tends inward to Sandyiord, the same
quantity could be extracted BY means Of
the capital OF EI0,000 and sold at f2O per
ton, yielding revenue rate for the cap
itslists and difruse the blessings Of en-
plovment among the people, and not only
rerder it impossible for the Americans
to compete with the Irish, but really
push an Irish trade in potash into the
American continent"
The process Of extracting the potash
from granite is not given; but we pre-
sume il is done bv roasting and then "la.
king, BY pouring water upon it when hot
This will undoubtedly liberate the potash
70 such an extent that all the alkalli will
he ready available FOR food Of plants; all
that remains to be done is simply to
throw It upon tho land. The more expen'
sive process Of leeching and boiling to
extract the potash. which is required to
prepare it for market, may be entirely
avoided.
Tho component parts Of granite are
quartz. relspa and mica. Sipuite which
Il often called granite, and is the mate
rial often furnished from the qua rries
ot c,nincv. Mass, differs from tho tech
nical granite Of geo'ogists, in containing
more bornblende in place of mica; but
bcinp formed under similar circums'aT''
ces and frequently in the same beds or
ouarries with granite. It often passes hv
impercep,ihIe gradation'. into comb,
nation wirh considerable proportion OF
quartz and mica.
Pnra quartz consists entirelv Of sl'ex,
Felspar varies essentially in its cons''t-
uent parts. but frequently contains from
twelve 10 seventeen per cent. OF potHsh.
o,o ~ t,vo mar cent Of lime and soda. and
about eighteen per cents OF alIum'na'
Mica contains from four to eight per
cent Of potash. and other alkadies valua'
ble for agricultural purposes Horn"
hlanee. also varies materially in its
composition, but contains from twelve to
over twenty per cent. Of lime. ten to
twenty of ma agnesia. &c. 10 their natu'
,al condition, unassisted by art, these
ferhlizing ingredients are given bn'
slowly, though the felspar. when sub,
iect 10 moisture, is slightly decompoSe!d
bv the rootlets Of plants, which suck
from them as they do from bones that
are buried in the soil, some oI the IN
gradients essential to their own struct'
ure and vitality.
When science shall have advanced tc
A sufficient extent to detect the mines Of
agricultural food which now lie unheed,
ed in the soil, future generations will
probably find it the barrenest sands ana
such 0sare now deemed utterly worth
less, stores Of fertility that need but tne
ingenuity Of man to compel them to yield
their boarded wealth, and which united
to the elements Of the atmosphere Wi
furnish the elements Of life 10 countless
myriads Of the human race.
(Americdn AgrteSltSTiss'