The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-07-30
POTASH FROM GREEN
SAW PALMETTO ROOTS

your extract from the Fort Lauder
dale Sentinel in regard to potash
from the ash of palmetto. have
been told years ago by Mayor Fair
banks, of Fernandina, long since
dead, but well known all over Flor
ida for his learning and good judg-
ment, that if thereof of the low saw
palmetto were burned green there
would be found in the ash IS per
cent of potash. Later l was told by
Mr.. Stebins, then of Tampa, now CT
Think of Zephyrhills on the Sea-
board Air Line Railway, that he
knew of an experiment in burning
of the palmetto green when they
found 65 per cent of potash; partly
green not so much, and dry but lit
tie potash 1T seems to me a fur
F.! mace could me constructed to burn
green, and it would be a paying in
vestment. You have in your city
the man that is competent to make
such furnace. Mr.. Arthur Stew
ems, of the Merrill-Stevens Company.
Yours truly,
JOHN RICHARDSON.
She Agricultural News Service,
published by the Florida College of
Agriculture, contains the following,
which confirms the above.
The average farmer is probably
overlooking source of potash in
HARDWOOD ashes and those of the saw
palmetto. Analyses made at the
university of Florida Experiment
Station several years ago showed
that samples of saw palmetto roots
obtained from Bradentown, Miami
and Lake City gave ashes which con-
tanned more than 10, SO and 35 per
cent of potash respectively. This
ash was practically free of foreign
matter and contained no dirt OF
sand from the roots. P. H. Rolfe
director of the University of Flor.
ida Experiment Station, estimates
that the ashes obtained under av
erage farm conditions would anal
we from / to 10 per cent.
Before the European war potash
came from Germany and the trouble
of saving wood ashes probably wal
not justified. but according to thei
potash content, ashes are wortl
about five times as much as the.
were a little more than a year ago
The saw palmetto burns to yer.
few ashes so that it takes from
twenty to twenty-five tons of dr..
roots to make ton of ashes, bu
saw palmetto and many other WOO,
are burned in great quantities o.
Florida farms especially where new
lands are cleared. The ashes ar
wasted. They could be saved easily
Every ton of ashes is worth at leas
IS and may be worth as much a
$50 according to the way in whicl
he wood has been cared for, for it
potash alone. There are other fer
ilizers, principally phosphorus
which are valuable.
The farmer must not expect to ge
ashes which will contain as higl
percentage of potash as those oh
aimed by the station, because thos
we're from wood which was handle
With utmost care, but since tn
wood is burned anyway the ashe
lad just as we'll be saved. PotasI
caches quite readily from the say
,almetto roots and they should b
turned while they are still green o
possible; but if this cannot be done
hey should be ricked and protect
I'd from the rain. The ashes shout
be protected so that none of the fer
tilizing constituents may be lost.
The ash from leaves and berrie
of saw palmetto and the ashes fror
cabbage palmetto as we'll as the as
from pine run very low in potas
and probably will not justify tn
trouble of saving.-Times-U Union.