Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1918-08-22
GERMAN MONOPOLY
ON FERTILIZERS IS
SMASHED BY WAR
American Genius Answers The
Kaiser's Boast That World
Depended On Him
GREAT FIELDS OF
BY-PRODUCT HERE
Twenty Million Tons Available
At California Lake Alone.
Other Plants Under Way

The opening of a great potash field
at SearIes Lake. California, where il is
estimated twenty million tons Of pot
ash are available for the uses Of this
nation. is the American answer TO Ger
many's claim Of monopoly on this es-
sential product-a necessity in time of
war and peace.
The Kaiser is quoted as Boosting to
his American dentist, between the lat
ter's jabs at an imperial tooth. that
Germany controlled the potash supply
Of the world This boast was made
since the outbreak OF the war, and
Germany did have monopoly of the
supply, with the United States as her
best customer, until American re-
sourcefulness met foreign monopoly.
Today, under the potash land leas
ing bill which was rushed through
Congress at the present session, $4,000
acres at Searles Lake are under lease.
Experts OF the Geological Survey es-
innate this great bed will produce
twenty million tons, with incidental
production on the side Of soda. borax
and salt
In the leucite rock hills of Wyoming,
near Green River, an even greater esti-
mated deposit has been found, and a
company has made application TO the
government for approval of a half-mil-
lion dollar plant to extract and refine
this necessary mineral.
AT Salt Lake Utah, three potash
plants are just getting under way, Sew
eral small lakes in Nebraska have been
found to contain deposits and develop
ment has begun there. Recently the
Interior Department has granted near
ly forty permits to prospectors and
explorers. who are traversing the
western desert basins in search of ad-
ditional fields, All this is possible I'M
der the new potash leasing law, throw
ing open the public domain to wartime
development. and development after
war shall cease.
But American enterprise, combating
long. established German monopoly
has not stopped there. II has been dis
covered that potash may be produced
as a by-product of cement manufacture
The process was devised by a govern
ment scientist. 1t means cheaper
manufacture of potash and expecta-
tions are there will be practically no
limit to this by-product with the per-
lection of production methods. One
cement concern has already reversed
the relationship. and is now making
cement as a by-product. while turning
In, OF 30, H.
ton
Before the war the United States
bought from Germany about 100000
tons of potash annually. Its account
with the German monopoly was larger
than that of any other nation The
bulk OF this potash went into the manu-
facture OF fertilizers, Potash was
about $4S per ton before the world war
began Germany gradually raised the
price until it became prohibitive-
eight to ten times the original cost
and the United States increased its eff
forts TO encourage domestic produc-
tion and shake OF German monopoly
for all time-just as America intends
to remain forever free of the German
dye monopoly,
Even before the outbreak Of the
world war, however. the Geological
Survey had begun its explorations for
potash fields The earlier finds were
impossible of development because of
the expense involved. Additional leg
islation and funds for exploration
were needed. and the war and a pot
ash shortage brought from Congress-
at the behest of Secretary Lane. Diree-
tor George Otis Smith, of the Geologi-
cal Survey, another scientist, neces-
sary legislation and development ma
chinery.
Aside from its uses as a fertilizer
basis, potash is essential to industry in
times OF both war and peace 1t is
used in the manufacture Of glass and
soap, in the manufacture Of dyes and
the tanning industry The metallurgi-
cal industry in the West uses large
quantities OF potassium salts. The
shortage Of potash. therefore not only"
was felt in the agricultural sections,
but in industry as well.
To limited extent potash is used in
the manufacture of munitions. but the
proportion is small compared TO that
required for agriculture and the indus
tries. The manufacturers of fertiliZ-
er, Of course, have therefore used the
great bulk of the German supply. and