The Washington herald., 1918-08-12
DOING WITHOUT
POTASH IN U. S.
Holland Suggests Substi-
tutes Exist to Obviate
German Supply.

German Supply.
In a brief statement made q few
days ago by Samuel T. Morgan. pres
ident of the Virginia-Carolina Chem
ical Company. he alluded to the sue
cess obtained by American science and
industry in providing fertilizinS ma
terial which goes far to make good
the cessation OF imports of potash
from Germany.
President Morgan's company. which
Is the largest OF its kind in the world
and which last year did a business
considerably in excess Of a hundred
million dollars. manufactured among
other products a million tons of fer
tilizer. This output served greatly to
relieve the embarrassment of the
farmers who were fearful lest the loss
of German potash would greatly i'm
pair their harvests.
President Morgan intimated that in
the United States is abundance Of
raw material which under proper
treatment can be converted into fer
tilizers, and presumably had in mind
the growth Of the fertilizing industry
so that. like the dye industry, after
the war the United States will be no
longer compelled to rely upon Ger
many for its fertilizing material.
Recently the statement has been
published which confirms a remark
attributed to the Kaiser at the be-
ginning OF the war. He is reported
to have said that as the United States
is dependent upon German potash for
fertilizing material. this country
would hesitate long before joining the
allies, since IL that were to be done
we could get no potash.
Two years at least before Congress
declared war upon Germany imports
OF potash from Germany ceased. The
dealers who had secured a large sup
ply shortly before the war, hoover
led 1t, so to speak. doling 1t out in
small quantities until at last II was
exhausted. Nevertheless, in the year
lyl5 the United States harvested a
billion bushels of wheat and the cot
ton planters In that year and later
secured excellent crops OF cotton.
As soon as 1t was known that we
were TO be deprived OF German pot
ash, men of science, some of whom
were employed by private capital and
some by the government, began in
Vestigation, with intent to discover
whether potash in crude form could
be found to commercial advantage in
the United States They demonstrated
that seaweed off the Pacific coast
could be made to yield a considerable
percentage of potash, although the
expense entailed in extracting it was
found TO be an objection. They re-
ported that great potash deposits
were to be found in one of the lakes
Of California.
They went into Utah and discovered
that mountain west OF Salt Lake
City contained a mineral which would
yield a considerable percentage Of
potash.
They also made II known that in
the feldspar deposits of the United
States considerable percentage of
potash existed
All these discoveries. however
were partially negatived, so to speak,
by reason Of the fact that the cost
OF extracting the potash and, in the
case Of feldspar, the difficulties of
transportation, Were so great as to
cause it to be doubted whether even
with these raw resources potash could
be secured to commercial ADVANTAGE.
President Morgan appears to be of
the opinion that the American farm
ers have placed. perhaps. too great
faith in potash as the chief element
in fertlizing material 1t seems to
be his opinion, as II was the opinion
OF those who undertook to solve the
dyestuff problem, that we have raw
material in the United States which
II properly utilized will provide the
farmers with all the fertilizing mater
ial that is needed.
DR.. Charles Catlett. who was for
merly OF the United States geological
survey laboratory. and who is esteem
ed one of the leading chemists of
the United States, said that the
country has done well enough in
the production OF potash to meet tn.
more pressing needs at the prevailing
high market price. Undoubtedly a
good deal more is to be done, especial
ly because the question of potash is
to play very important part in the
field OF international politics.
DR.. Catlett has received information
which shows him that the stock of
200 potash compa nies in Germany are
quoted at 20 per cent more than they
were before the war and this in spite
of the fact that they have been ae-
cumulating enormous amounts OF
potash and have shipped hardly any
out of Germany. DR.. Catlett said:
''If the various interviews which are
now being published are accurate, the
Kaiser continues 10 emphasize the
of the rest of the world
upon Germany for potash. going 50
far as to assert that Germany when
debating the terms OF peace will see
to it that the rest of the world pay
a considerable portion of the expense
of the war. because other countries
will he compelled to buy Germn
potash"
The German Emperor may be mis-
taken in this view, as he has been
in many others. The men of science
have discovered that the greatest
potential source of potash in the
TAINTED States Is in the blast fur
naces.
But II so happens that the fur
naces are now being pushed to their
utmost in order to meet the demand
of iron. For that reason. they are
not utilizing the by-product, potash,
which is perhaps one of the most
important or valuable of the by
products of the furnaces. The sug-
gestion is made that the govern
ment Immediately established three
L., - T~sN 81,