Yerington times. [volume] (Yerington, Nev.) 1907-1932, 1911-12-02
POTASH IN NEVADA
WITH new FACTS
Arid Regions Of Nevada Most Like.
Iy to Contain Rich
Deposits

1OIdSIl has ItCIl Tue tAC1lli1p cause OIL
no little interest recently, but, as is often
the case when technical matters are dis
cussed by the on-technical press much
that is misleading has been put forth,
says the Mining and Scientific Press. A
recent editorial in a leading daily journal
is entitled Potash is Better Than
Gold, " which is as rational as to say that
coal is better than custard. The facts of
the matter are, briefly, that potash like
nitrogen, has always been a source of
worry in the effort to obtain an adequate
supply. The reason for this is much
the same i'll both cases; potash salts and
nitrates are easily soluble, and there
fore the teaching action of the rains
upon the earth's crust have tendency
to dissolve them out and carry them
away. This is further complicated BY
the instability of the nitrates, leading to
their decomposition; on the other hand,
the potassium which existed as an origi-
nal constituent of the earth crust tends,
during the chemical changes attendant
upon sub aerial metamorphism, to lock
itself up in clayey minerals from which
it can only slowly and with difficulty be
wrested by the chemical changes acces-
sorry to the growth of vegetation. Ami
mails derive their supply of this neces-
sary element either by browsing upon
the vegetation or by devouring animals
that have already supplied themselves
with potash from the plants. In order
to keep up the fertility of the soil ami
NAL waste and decayed vegetables are
applied to its surface, and the efficacy OF
the method is shown by the fact that the
abundant crops of the sandy plain com
prisiug all central China, have for cen.
turtles been secured by such means.
When the need of potash for manu-.
featuring purposes was limited to soap
maxi and few other simple indus
tries, the supply was easily maintained
by teaching the ashes of burned vegeta-
ton. But with the great growth of mod
ern chemical industry the demand in
creased rapidly and fortunately was met
by the discovery of large deposits of pot.
ash salts near Stassfurt. These, under
the wise policy of conservation adopted
by the German government, will furnish
an adequate supply for many years to
come With the increasing cost of labor
the expense of gathering and applying
animal and vegetable waste as fertilizer
is becoming prohibtive and. in addition,
the so-called chemical fertilizers.
which are prepared by mixing the chem
ical ingredients required by plant life in
the exact proportion required by the
crops This is in large part responsible
for the greatly increased demand. Ger
many, having a practical monopoly OF
the supply is able to maintain prices at
a level slightly below that at which it
would he more economical to utilize the
original source of supply. The search
for potash deposits in other countries is
correspondingy stimulated. but the re-
suits have, as yet, been meager, Re-
ports of the discovery of potash ore
have, usually, upon investigation, proved
to be founded upon feldspar or pegma-
tite deposits, which, though containing
potash, are not as yet possible sources of
supply. The old method of teaching
plant ashes, sea weed, for example, is
still the most promising method of OBJ
tanning a local supply Arid regions,
such as Nevada and neighboring States,
may eventually disclose deposits of pot
ash salts OF commercial value, and free
the United States from dependence upon
a foreign country for a supply OF the
necessary element. though this should
this fhould be regarded as a possibility
rather than probability.