Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1916-07-19

The European wars greatest SERVES to
the United States, even surprising in inn
portancs the stimulation to our foreign
trade, has been to force our scientists to
develop home resources for the renewal Of
American coil fertility. Until the war
broke out, tho United States supposed
itself to b at the mercy Of two great
foreign monopolies in two Of the essential
elements OF fsrtilixer-nitrates and potash.
The only natural supply Of nitrate salts
on earth IL in Chile. Germany, at stass-
furt. possesses the only potash mines on
earth. Nitrstes and potash are two Of the
three indispensable elements OF plant
food, the other being phosphate.
To keep fertilizer away from q country
means starvation. Already the effects of
the fertilizer famine can be observed in
the European war. Germany has all the
potash and nitrates she needs, but she has
no native supply OF phosphate, except
the casual supply that comes from stable
refuse, nor have her scientists been able
to produce phosphate artiHcially. She
has been largely dependent for her phos-
phate supply upon the deposits OF phos-
phate rock in Florida and other southern
states. For two years she has been shut
on from this supply, and recently the
German food dictator announced that last
years German farm crop was short.
Scientists in Washington are inclined to
connect this shortage with the inability
Of Germany to get phosphates.
Without scientific resourcefulness, the
United States might have found herself
in Germany's predicament. But, with
scientific resourcefulness, we have now
abundant home supplies of both elements,
not in mines and other natural deposits,
but in new chemical processes perfected
by our own American scientists.
The government has taken the lead in
this movement. What has been done to-
ward giving us nitrate supply by FIX
ing" the nitrogen Of the air in such form
that plants can feed upon it, is well
known. The government has appropri-
ated $4,000, 900 for nitrate plant, and the
ible; it will last forever.
The greater miracle is the story OF how
we have found potash, and found it in
abundance. The geological survey has
been boring and prospecting for potash
for more than ten years, but never has
commercially workable potash supply
been discovered, although 1t IS supposed
that the salts exist in our country.
But now, since the war started, we have
found our potash supply, and it is not in
q mine or in the brine wells Of the salt
works. Our scientists have discovered
more potash than we can use in the arts
and on the soil, exhausting and wasting
So gas from the chimneys and stacks Of
our iron furnaces and lime kilns.
The process by which this potash may
be economically recovered was discovered
by Prof. Cottrell, q scientist Of the govern
ment bureau OF mines. The Cottrell
process was originally intended and used
not to recover by-products but to prevent
gases destructive to vegetation from
issuing from factory stacks. After the
war broke out and the price OF potash
leaped skyward, cement company in
California, which had employed the pro-
cess to prevent the destruction Of vegeta-
tion by fumes from its stacks, found this
fiue dust rich in potash. Since then,
scientists have made the startling estimate
that the recovery OF the potash from all
the limestone burned for cement will
supply 40 per cent Of all the potash
needed in this country.
The same process can be used to re-
cover the potash and other valuable min
erals in the gas which comes from the
iron smelter. Some striking facts in the
iron industry have been discovered in the
past few months. With potash at present
prices, it is now known that for every SIT
worth Of fluid iron smelted from the ore,
potash worth 300 passes away in gas and
operated cbeaply, it is expected that the
coming few months will see scores of iron
furnaces adopting it. The furnaces can
easily supply 60 per cent of our potash
needs.
Many OF our native rocks contain potash
in form that can be recovered by the
new process. 1t was because OF our de-
velopment OF nitrogen and potash sup
piled that Secretary Of the Interior Lane
recently said: "You can now build a wall
around the United States, and we can live
behind it for a thousand years with nc
serious disturb ance to our industries, and
without the sacrifice OF any ofour comfort
and happiness"