The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-03-31

{ important to every human being is
 ash, so important in the economy of
 ant growth, that without it plant and
 yhimal life would cease by reason ot
 Starvation.
 % The finding of a new deposit, however I far away, is announced by the officials of
 all governments with unfeigned pleasure, | and the recent find in California of a large deposit of potash from dissolved granite | formations, has given the agrieulturisti | of eur country renewed hope.
 The compounds of K2 C O3, are mainly
 derived now and originally from no other l in feldspar-one of the component parts
 of granite and granite rocks The potash pearl ashes) is made by burning hard
 woods. The potassium-potash--t up
 by all plants-is primarily derived from
 mineral base.
 Today the chief supply of potash comes to us from Germany. sttassfurt, town
 in the Prussian province of Saxony, has
 become important internationally by
 reason of the development of salt com
 bined with potassium. In 1856 the borings made to test the valley of the Bode reached a depth of so2 feet; later on finer and purer deposits were found between
 HOO and 1900 fet under ground.
 The mineral salts found are separated chemically and factories for this purpose are numerous, so that today strassturt and Leopoldshall have been built up by
 these deposits, just as Birmingham has ben built up by the development of iron and coal.
 Our agricultural industries prosper or languish in direct proportion to the ele-
 ments of plant food in soils that we cul- tiyate. and we have no plants that can develop without this mineral food. Tobac. co exhausts the soil of potash very rap idly; potatoes also demand much potash as all plants do that form starch in excess of normal amounts.
 Plants may grow luxuriantly with g small amount of potash and an ex- cessive amount of ammonia, as is ire quently seen in the growth of cotton which needs much potash for the devel 1 opment of the lint. If an examination O the pod or boil is made when half growr | it willSbe seen to be a mass of starchs looking substance; under the microscopy, the fibers are there. but seem to be mu cilaginous; the truth is every cotton stalf or plant is a perfect starch factory and without potash the cotton crop would
 be an entire failure. If the soil Is very sandy and the potash has leached out just as lye does from ashes, if it be a rainy season the growth of stem may be great in proportion to the quality of the soil due to the fact that summer rains carry down to the earth some of the nitrogen of our atmosphere; then if OK animation is made the staple is short and the bolls are widely separated. Potash is therefore necessary to the farmer, to the gardener. and to those that have flower gardens as well, and without it universal death would be over the earth like one vast errebean pail.
 Take high grade fertilizer for an ex- ample-a 3-12-3-that is to say, 3 per cent of nitrogen, 12 per cent of phosphoro acid and 3 per cent of potash-it con tains SO pounds nitrogenous matter, 24c pounds of phosphatic supplies and SC pounds of potash.
 The filler-that is the 164o pounds not referred to in the snalysis-is of no value unless it be a silicate. clay or char coal, to retain the escaping gases-the ammonia.
 What is the potash of commerce? Potassium carbonate-K 2 c O 3-was had in the olden days by teaching ant boiling wood ashes. The chlorides ant