The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-12-05
LOOKING FOR POTASH
THIS DEMAND IS URGENT
DOMESTIC PRODUCTION SMALL
GREAT DEPOSIT IN
GERMANY.

struction. In spite of all efforts the
resources Of the country so far as de-
yeloped are producing but small
proportion of that needed for the an
nual consumption of the country
Against an importation from Germany
of 100000 tons annually last year
domestic product reached to but 81,
900 tons. with an indicated increase
for the ensuing year that will total
up to but 10000 tons
The great German deposits IN
Prussian Saxony are still under Ger
man control and are not included in
the mineral territory now held west
of the Rhine, so the United States
must look to domestic production for
her supply or still be in the grip OF
the German monopoly as to this inn
portant fertilizer ingredient.
The third major plant food, and at
this time the scarcest basal ingredl-
ent of grain fertilizers in the United
States. is potassium. Before the war
the United States imported 25O,O0O
tons annually from Germany, which
has held for many years a monopoly
on this important element.
Compounds Of Salts.
This mineral like phosphorus and
nitrogen, Is neither found In soils nor
Is used In fertilizers in its elemental
condition but in the form of various
40, NJ bp IN n
important are potassium carbonate,
potassium chloride and the sulphate.
The term potash refers to potassium
oxide, used for calculating these COM
pounds to a common basis, although
the term is generally used to refer to
the element in any form.
Potassium contributes stalk
strength and kernel filing to the
growing plant. 1t is present in nor
NAL soils partly in the form of SOL
uble compound, potassium carbonate,
which is supplied to the soil by the
decay and decomposition of rock in
gradients from parent rocks
Its deficiency, whether from natur-
al conditions or from soil exhaustion
due to continuous cropping, must be
supplied by the addition of the proper
form of the material from external
sources. There is no scarcity of pot
ash in general in the makeup of the
earth. Ii makes up about one-eighth
of the rock structures. There are on
ly seven elements more abundant
There is more potash in the crust OF
the earth than there is water upon it,
The trouble is that the element Is so
scattered and generally diversified in
it's various forms that 1t is, hard to
find a deposit rich enough to be used
as direct supply, and the processes
of separation and segregation from
the ordinary rock material are expen-
sive and complicated,
German Deposits.
The famous German deposits are
the only known deposits of such size
and richness in the world. They
were found some 60 years ago in con-
nection with deep borings put down
in search of rock salt beds. AS the
demand for the material grew these
beds were developed and proved to
be enormous deposits or lenses of
practically pure potash minerals in
such form as to be Immediately us
able and cheaply mined,
Developments have since demon
strated that these deposits are capa-
bic of supplying the entire world de-
mand for very long period, at cost
for mining and handling less than
from anywhere else.
Both the agricultural department
and the United States geological sur
vey have been conducting a system
attic search for domestic supply of
this material for many years This
was stimulated when the war cut off
the German source of supply, but in
spite of the renewed activities in this
line, the country is producing from a
variety of sources significant but
still a totally inadequate supply.
While the chief requirement of the
material is for fertilizers, great
quantity of it is used in various
chemical industries. notably in the
manufacture of explosives and heavy
chemicals.
Potash in Nebraska.
The most productive source of sup
ply in the United States at this time
Is the recovery of potsha salts from
some of the alkalai lakes of the west
whose waters have been found to be
relatively rich in potassium COM
pounds. Jesse lake in western Ne
braska is an interesting example, its
potash Is supposed to have been
leached from the adjacent plains fol-
lowing extensive forest fires, repre-
senting a natural wood ash extrac-
ton. Searles lake in California has
attracted considerable attention and
carries a large tonnage of potential
potash minerals, but the contents of
the lake represent several complex
mineral mixtures and the process of
development has been slow and diff
cult Owens lake, near the head OF
the Los Angeles aqueduct, offers some
possibilities and considerable potash
IL now recovered from the mother
liquor after the salt is precipitated