Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1903-06-12
HEMIST'STA TALK
eatise on Agricultural
Chemistry.
INTERESTING RESUME.
aah--its Importance as Plant
keedI Sources From Which Derived.
Pod Administrations Deposits.


Qed Ashes--stassfust Deposits.
PC only source OF potash known
Due fathers was ashes, mainly wood
- and while potash from this
rec is q most excellent manure,
evidently the quantity available
astsf be quite limited. The great
A3ortty Of soils, especially those
Aich contain much clay, usually hold
hrge reserve of potash, and do not
Dear to require the special applica-
On OF potash as a manure. Light
andy soils on the other hand, and
PINE clay soils also appear to be quite
eAcient in potash and are much bene-
ted by applications of that fertilizer
sails OF this nature, therefore, stand
- much In need of constant potash ma
airing as Of phosphoric acid and nj
1ogen applications.
Wood ashes, whilst they may be
eheap and easily obtained in countries
Wh0re large forest areas are to be
cleared, In older countries cannot be
20 easily obtained. Long before fer.
Ulcers became a commercial commod-
~ wood ashes were highly thought
W By farmers. But usually when a
A-azHsr buys ashes he buys in the
aark, owing to the fact that ashes
rary so widely in their contents of
potash. AS a rule, ashes from hard
woods are richer in potash than those
from soft woods. The ash of the red
oak for instance contains about per
cent Of potash, that Of the hickory
About 3 per cent, some pine woods
bout Az per cent. No definite per-
eentage. however, can be laid down for
my special wood, as the same wood
via vary in different localities, and
the wood Of different parts of the
same tree will vary, the ashes from
che twigs and young limbs being rich
or In potash than the ashes from the
body or trunk Of the tree.
u Is impossible to fix the value of
. lot OF ashes, except by special analy-
sio Of the particular lot, owing to this
great variability In composition, and
Owing to the further fact that the
ashes may have been leached or mixed
watn more or less dirt. The average
analysis for good unleached ashes may
Dc taken as 5 per cent of potash, ~
per cent ,Uf phosphoric acid, and 32k
per cent Of lime. According to the
values for fertilizers adopted for the
present season, a ton of good average
ashes at the coast should be worth
SOUR dollars and fifteen cents. This
calculation allows no value to the lime,
although OF course 1t has decided val
re on such soils as are deficient in it.
Luelily since the middle of the last
century. farmers have eeen no longer
compelled to rely on ashes as a source
ck potash, but have come to adopt in
eAcir stead almost universally what
ere known as the German or Stassfurt
potash salts.
These salts are mined in Stassfurt
~ northern Germany, In the province
og Saxony. They were discovered by
ehe Prussian government while boring
Tor rock salt about the year 1857. At
4rst they we're considered worthless,
but soon the great Chemist Liebig
began publishing his discoveries con-
eerning plant growth and nutrition,
@howing potash to be an essential and
much-needed element in the growth
md development of plants. This led
= the development of the potash
mines. and the utilization for agricul-
eure of the precious salts contained in
them. The first potash salt works
ber the manufacture and sale of the
BeGash salts was established in Stass-
fwxH In 1852. Some of the crude ores
IRE suited for agricultural use Just as
hey are dug from the mines, and are
known as Kainit, Carnallite, Sylvinit
me KANT contains on an average of
bout 12h per cent Of potash, the
earnaMite about 10 per cent, and the
ylvinit is per cent of potash. AS
here 10 great demand for these
PRODUCTS all over the world, and the
Fgaghtage TO long distances is quite
AZ item, II became desirable to concen.
rate the potash in these natural prod.
pcts Is much as possible, SO as to
void the cost Of transportation on the
alta contained In them useless to agri.
sasnre.
TAs great factories of the German
III Works" now prepare from the
1de Kainit, Carnallite and Sylvinit,
Muriates of potash containing As per
nk, 30 per cent and SO per cent Of
ataal potash, also sulphates of pot
NJ containing from 4S to 81 per cent
actual potash, also what is known as
pouhlc Manure Salts" with rs per
Dne OF potash. A complete analy-
ID Of all these various products and
Dxne others will be found on another
age Of thds bulletin.
These deposits are practically mex
Anstible IN quantity and will supply
40 agricultural world for many years
ID come. Should they ever become
Exhausted doubtless new discoveries
q