The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1915-07-30
EUROPEAN WAR PRIMER.

The war isolation of tie little town
OF Strassfurt in the province of Sax
ony, Prussia, with its neighborhood
richly productive of potash salts, has
caused more stir and annoyance in
the neutral world than the isolation
of many larger and much more fam
Gus places.
Germany has been the worlds
great source of potassium compounds
used in the preparation of fertilizers
and in industrial processes The pro-
duction of these salts for worldwide
demand has conferred at Strassfurt, a
little town of 10000 on the Bode river
20 miles south of Madgeburg The
United States has been a very heavy
taker of the German output, import
ing millions of dollars worth each
year While the bulk Of the potash
salts is employed in the manufacture
of manure salts, large quantities are
| consumed in the soap, match and
glass making, cloth-hnishing and phar-
maceutical industries. Especially has
the general chemical industry felt
| lack of potash salts, since the promul-
| cation by the German government in
| Jdhudl " VI lHlS yCdIJ Vi du SIHDdISO
| upon the export Of the salts.
Experts of the United States geo.
logical survey have scored the coun-
try for a number of years in search of
L domestic supply of potash salts. The
| surveys efforts were redoubled upon
the German source becoming inacces-
sible. The work has extended from
New York to California and from
Michigan to Louisiana. Thus far no
sources of supply in any way approach
the commercial value of those at
Strassfurt have been uncovered.
| Potassium, never free but in various
compounds, is present throughout the
world in inexhaustable supply. The
difficulty is that in many of its forms
it has hitherto proved unfeasible of
commercial exploitation. The oceans
are vast reservoirs of potash salts.
Such common rock forms as feldspar
md mica, distributed around the
world, contain potassium, as do other
rarer occurrences, such as a alunite, a
Sulphate of potassium and aluminium.
Kelp, or seaweed, is worked for pot
tsh salts. Starssfurt remains the chief
IF world sources, however, as its salts
IRE rich and easily worked, while pro-
cesses for the production of the salts
rom kelp, alunite, feldspar and mica
have not yet been translated into sue
eesSful commercial endeavor.
In search of salts as rich and as
workable as those in Germany, the
geological survey has sent its repre-
sentatives throughout the country,
collecting and examining artificial
primes and bitterns at all salt-making
establishments in the land; carrying
IN deep drilling for saline residues
wherever conditions suggested prom
Sc to the effort deposits of alunite
and other minerals containing potas-
stun have been investigated, and,
inally, considerable labratory work
has been done in the endeavor to
make the reduction of such potassium
bearing compounds as we have COM
mercially possible. And still the salt
mines of Germany are the first and
best source of supply.
The Strassfurt region has for many
years been the source of the worlds
supply of potash salts. Their produc-
ton has been controlled by a syndi-
cate to which all of the firms pro-
iucing this COMMODITY belong. Each
year what proportion of that years
production might be exported and
what must be determined for domestic
use has been determined by the eXecu-
tive of this syndicate. Also, total
productions have been determined and
allotted, year by year, thus effecting
conservation of Germany's supply. In
1914 the German potash syndicate de-
termined upon total production OF
all kinds of potash salts of 100000
metric tons for the year. OF this
amount, SCI 900 tons were allotted for
export.
A hampering lack of potash salts
has been the result of the isolation of
little unknown Strassfurt. There are
other sources. Deposits in Glacia have
assumed importance in connection
with the war. potash salts being neces-
sary in the preparation of explosives.
| These deposits were found near Kali
usz, and plans have been made to
work them on large scale Texas,
California and New Mexico are among
the most promising fields for possible
potash prod, ction in this country.