Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1909-08-17

bad crops, while the same land, IL thor
oughly fortified with potash, will grow
excellent crops of many things. 1t is said
that the presence OF much potash in soil
In some mysterious way protects plants
growing therein from the ravages of
frost. 1t also affords drainage in wet
weather. retains moisture In dry seasons
besides serving as a sort of insecticide
and fungicide.
Perhaps the explanation of the fertiliz-
ing effect of potash is found in the fact
that IL has recently been discovered 10
be radioactive. It Is said to thro won't
the peculiar Beta" rays with consider
able velocity, which rays, 1t is believed,
act as an anti-toxin on the soil. How
ever that may be, potash has a WONDER
fully vitalizing effect upon fruit trees
flowers and many crops. Tobacco needs
potash perhaps more than any other
crop. Dry tobacco contains forty party
of potash in every thousand parts. An
acre crop of tobacco takes 70 pounds OF
potash from the soil 1t grows in.
Although the resources of American
soils have seemed inexhaustible, enormous
quantities of potash are imported into
this country, chiefly for use in the man.
ufacture of commercial fertilizers. The
annual imports are little short of $780,
900 pounds, worth nearly half million
dollars.
Scientists have calculated that fertile
soil contains about per cent of potash
An acre of arabic soil one foot deep will
weigh nearly S,5OO,OO0 pounds. At that
rate there are nearly 10000 pounds of
potash in an acre OF good land. Vegeta-
@top oh the pnfash Theoretically.
therefore. a crop using so pounds of
potash per acre could be grown upon the
same land for 1,400 consecutive years
without exhausting the potash Com
pared with these figures on one hand Is
the known fact that some land in the
Old World has been under cultivation for
1900 years or more apparently without
exhausting the potash in that soil; while
on the other hand, there is evidence that
after a certain point is reached some
crops cannot be grown indefinitely on the
some land. although it may contain con-
siderable potash.
In a word. nature seems to have some
unknown process Of conserving the potash
resources of the soil, If she does not re-
new them. And we'll she may, because
the removal of potash from the soil is
very extensive. The most complete re-
moval occurs in the case of such crops as
sugar beets, of which both the roots and
tops are harvested A sugar beets crop
is said to remove IS pounds of potash
from an acre of land. Cereal crops re-
move rs pounds per acre, hay Sc pounds.
potatoes 30 pounds and tobacco 70 pounds.
AS potash is soluable in water, the rain
washes 1t from the soil. At the same
time, however, rain and other elements
promote the decay of certain rocks, the
principal constituent of which is potash,
thus restoring vitality to the soil. Lands
reclaimed from marshes and sandy soils
need potash badly. Besides the pure
German potash fertilizer, land may be
enriched by the addition of tobacco stems,
cotton seed hulls, wood ashes, the straw
of cereal and leguminous crops, the resi-
dues of beet sugar factories and wineries,
and other vegetable and animal substan-
ces.
Besides its value as a fertilizing agency
potash Is used to a considerable extent
in the manufacture of soap. 1t forms the
basis OF common I've. Used incidentally,
it is important and is expected to be-
come more so when its radioactive prop
critics are better understood. In the form
of potassium nitrate, or saltpeter, it goes
to make up many explosives. As potas-
stun cyanide ii is used to extract gold
from ore in the so-called cyanide process.
Potassium bromide, cream of tartar, and
tartar emetic are some of the common
forms of potash with which we come in
contact.
Potash is related In some measure to
nitrate. of which nearly 1000 COO tons are
I exported every year from Chile and Peru
/ The nitrate beds of South America locat-
ed in a bleak desert, have been the cause
of at least one war, and they constitute
I perhaps the most important source OF
revenue for the Chilean government. Au-
will last for 200 or 800 years. Nitrates
have been produced artificially to some
extent by the use of electricity.
The principal associates of potash in
| the manufacture of commercial fertiliz-
ers are nitrate and phosphate, and they
| are good only in some cases. America
has rich phosphate beds in the west
Germany, while holding the worlds sup
ply of potash, is taking other fertiliz-
| ing materials fro mthe United States
although her economists many years age
! decided against a similar practice on the
| part of England, which was at that time
digging up theh Napoleon battlefields OF
/ the continent to get human bones fol-
| fertilizer.-(Capyright 1903. by Frederic
| j. Haskin.)