The Green Forest tribune., 1914-10-02
REMEDIES FOR POTASH
 SHORTAGE sS
By Prof. H. A. Huston.

Various suggestions have been made in regard to the steps to be taken by farmers in reference to the shortage of Potash in their fertilizers, caused by the greatly reduced shipments of Potash from Germany since the first of August Most of the Fertilizer Com panies have endeavored to make the Potash on hand go as far as possible by selling for the present brands of complete fertilizers containing only 2 or 3 per cent of Potash and withhold ing from sale brands containing larger amounts.
 The suggestion that some or all of the Potash be replaced by phosphoric acid is absurd, for every schoolboy knows that one plant food cannot take the place of another. There are some indirect fertilizers, such as lime, gyp- sum and salt that can release limit ed amount of Potash from some soils that contain hydrated silicates of Alu- nina and Potash. But if these soils have already been treated with lime or have received repeated dressings of the usual forms of fertilizer con- taining soluble phosphate with it's ac companying gypsum, then the Potash in the hydrated silicates has to large extent already been replaced and the use of more lime or gypsum or salt could not be expected to release much additional Potash. Ground limestone or ch nj ell n a used as Potash releasers. .-==z....z=
 The residue of soda left in the soil by nitrate of soda is more effective in releasing Potash than is gypsum and hence goods, in which the nitrogen is largely in the form of nitrate of soda, ent emergency. -..t.'r.
 It is often stated that decaying or ganic matter releases Potash from the soil, but there seems to be no direct evidence of this. On the contrary, Dr. S. Peacock states in the American Fertilizer of Sept 5, 1914, Several thoroughly competent researches have shown that decaying organic matter has little effect on converting inert mineral plant food in the soil into available form"
 In any soil the amount of Potash capable of being released by these in- direct means is very small fraction of the total Potash in the soil, most of which exists in form about as soluble as window glass. There is no known profitable method for render ing this inert Potash of the soil avail able fast enough to provide for profit able crops. Whatever temporary ex- pedients we may employ in the pres ent emergency, we must keep in mind that the Potash thus removed from the semiavailable soil reserves must later be replaced if we are to main tain the soils productiveness.
 There is danger in the statement that farmers have been using an ex- cess of Potash. Crops use on the av- craze about two and one-half times as much Potash as phosphoric acid, while the average fertilizer sold contains only half as much Potash as phos- phoric acid; yet no one claims that we are using too much phosphoric acid The Potash remaining from pre- vious fertilization is practically noth- ing except in the limited areas where a ton or more of fertilizer has been used per acre on truck crops. Very rarely is half as much Potash applied to the wheat, oats, corn or cotton crop as the crop removes.
 The Potash mines are so numerous and the stocks on hand so large that supplies can be promptly sent for ward, as soon as European conditions permit freight shipments to be re- sumed.