The Dickson County herald. (Dickson, Tenn.) 1907-1979, 1914-10-09
LES FDHi POTASH
SHORTAGE
RF Rraa. =. I. kisssas.

YsFfsfas snssestloRs are been iaAda
y regard - sAe steps 10 be saAea hY
FARMERS 10 rsfeiieaee 10 the shortage
d Potash III their festillsers. cAased
NJ the sreasiY Tedusea shipments u
Petaah from Germany since the afss
q August. Nest II the Fsrtsliaer Cam.
paniss hare enAesvarea to make TIM
Potash 60 hand eo as far ~ poa,ihss
~ ssiling Cor sas pressat hranda of
Complete fsrziliaers containing emily =
" : per cent Of Potash and witAheld.
inS from sala hranda containing lafssr
amounts.
TIE suggestion that scaas Or oil Of
ths Potash be replaced by phosphate
acid y absurd. tor every schooieoy
KNOWS that 0sse plant food cannot take
the Place Of another. TAere are some
Indirect fertilizers. such as lime. kyp-
SUM and salt that can reieass q limss-
"a amount Of Potash from some soils
shas contain hydratsd silicates Of Ata-
nina and Potash. But IL these soils
have already beea treated with lime
or have received repeated dressings
OF the usual forms Of fertilizer con-
tanning soluble phosphate with It's ae-
companytag gypsum. then the Potash
In the hydrated siiicates 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 oyster shells art too slowly to BE-
used ~ Potash reIeasers.
The residue OF soda left I'm the coil
by nitrate OF soda In more effective In
releasing Potash than 10 gypsum and
hence goods. In which the nitrogen ID
largely In the form OF nitrate OF soda,
may have special value In the pres.
emit emergency.
Il "a often stated that decaying or.
ganic matter releases Potash from the
coll. but there seems TO be no direct
evidence OF this. On the contrary.
DIR. .. Peacock states In the American
Fertilizer Of Sept s. 1914. Several
thoroughly competent researches have
shown that deeaying 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 az window glass. There Ia TO
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 II we are TO main.
tain the soils productiveness.
There IL danger In the statement
that farmers have been using an on.
cess OF Potash. Crops use on the nv.
erage about two and one-half times az
much Potash AZ phosphoric acid. while
the average fertilizer sold contains
only half as much Potash AZ phes.
phorc acid: yet no one claims that
We ara using too much phosphoric
acid. The Potash remaining from pre-
yious fertilization 10 practically moth
ing except In the limited areas where
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 80 numerous
and the stocks on hand 40 large that
supplies can BIO promptly sent for.
ward. as soon as European conditions
permit freight shipments to be re-
sumed