The St. Joseph observer. [volume] (St. Joseph, Mo.) 1906-1932, 1917-09-08
TO DEVELOP u. S.
POTASH FIELDS


American chemists refuse to take
seriously Germany's threats that she
will starve' the world by Withholding
her potash supply. II is true that the
United States Imported a million tons
year from Germany before the war
while producing none at home, but
necessity hasG not left this country
stranded. InEall parts of the country
there are isolated potash deposits,
which are being Investigated and
worked, and the expectation is that
within years the United States will
be producing sufficient potash to sup
ply her own needs and for export. In
1875 this country produced 35,789
short tons of potash, which was 10
times as much as was reported for
1915. With the recent passage of the
Pittman bill In the senate. providing g
Tor explomttonIfor potash and for its
disposition, and the expected passage
of this bill in the house within a few
weeks, preparation is being made to
push production to the limit, and 1t is
possible that another year will find the
potash needs of this country provided
for. Potash is needed chiefly for fer
tiliZer, altho IL is used also in making
soap, fine glass, certain explosives and
matches. 1t finds application in tan
ming, metallurgy. electroplating, pho
Biography, medicine and chemistry. In
been exaggerated, and the increase in
price from $40 a ton in S1913 to s475
ton at present has brought about a
substitution of sodium i'm many uses
where potash was heretofore thought
to be indispensable. However, the
need as fertilizer cannot be filled by
sodium, and the farmers will have to
be supplied IL agricultural production
is not to be curtailed. Before the
war, with a smaller area than Texas,
Germany used twice as much fertilizer
as we do today in America. But the
supply in Germany was cheap. The
largest known deposits in the world
are in Strassburg, Germany. and in
f1alicz, Galicia. There were deposits
in the United States, but it had been
easier and cheaper to depend upon
Germany for the supply of potash.
But war prices made prospecting in
this country profitable, and altho many
of our new producers will be forced out
of business when the price drops back
TO normal, there are certain sources
OF supply which are expected to pro-
duce 1t at cost of from SIS to s25 a
ton. There is an endless quantity of
potash in this country. but most Of it
exists in an insoluble state. To be of
value as fertilizer, the potash must be
soluble. Felspar is l of the common
rocks in this country which contains
form which is not available for COM
mercial use. The geological survey
has examined many deposits of po-
ash-bearing soil, but almost without
exception the metal has been found in
combination with other refractory
mineral substances which rendered its
reduction so expensive as to preclude
it's production. As before stated, our
whole potash industry, like the coal tar
dye industry; has grown up from moth
ing within 2 years. At present there
are promising sources of supply and
others are under investigation. These
include saline deposits in Searles Lake.
San Bernardino county, Cal, extensive
deposits of "a complex potassium salt
called alunite in Marysville, Utah. and
IN western Nebraska. and lava called
Wyomingitei in Sweetwater county,
Wyo. Senator Pittman's bill was de-
signed especially to promote the ex-
ploitation of the Searles Lake field,
which is believed to have the greatest
possibilities Aluhite has proved prof
liable, but freight charges are exces-
sive from the mines in Utah, and until
reduction machines have been in
stalled and arrangements made to
put the potash on the market I'm the
form of fertilizer, there will not be
much Increase in production. Wyom-
ingite Is still undeveloped, but the fact
tash as felspar and this In a soluble
form, gives opportunity for develop
ment. In addition to these chief
sources there are literally hundreds of
minor ways that are being tried out.
Kelp "a seaweed found in the Paci-
fic), dried banana stalks, fiue dust
cement mills and blast furnaces, mo-
lasses distillery waste. wood ashes,
kainit, manure--all these are possible
sources which are under investigation.
kelp is the most promising, because
II IL estimated that more than , mil
lion tons of potash are avaiia BILE at this
source. When dry banana stalks are
burned. nearly 30 per cent of the ash
Is potash, but dry banana stalks are
too scarce to make this a profitable
source of supply. Tho not ominous, the
present potash situation needs careful
considerations: Germany is due to
meet with another disappointment IL
she is still expecting to dominate the
potashr market after the war. because
altho our supply is exhausted, sources
are being opened up that we never
knew existed, and We are going to be
able to make our Importance felt in this
M fia1a 90