The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1919-02-15
CRITICAL TIME FOR POTASH.
There Does Not Seem to Be Market fol-
the Product.

The present is a critical time for the
potash industry recently established in
the United States, according to II. S.
Gale, of the L. s, geological survey, de-
partment of the interior Prior to the
war this country used more than a mil
lion tons (gross weight of potash salts
each year, and it has been supposed that
the cutting off of large part of this
supply was keen deprivation, particu-
larry to the farmer, by whom it was
used for fertilizer. This foreign supply
has not been available during the war,
and with much energy and enthusiasm a
domestic production equivalent to about
one-fourth the former important has
been built up. Now, however, il is unex-
pectedly disclosed that there is little or
no market for potash either at the high
prices that have prevailed or even at
considerably lower price. No satisfac-
tory explanation of this situation seems
to be offered.
Approximately 100000 tons (gross
weight OF potash salts, produced in Ne
braska in 1918, are reported as lying in
storage warehouses, distributed through
out the southeastern states, which is the
region where potash is principally con-
sumed. This is of the same quality that
was used in 1917 and is Immediately
available to the fertilizer manufacturer
or the farmer. Potash Of other sorts
from various sources is also reported un-
sold, though in smaller quantities. As
this surplus represents approximately
half the relatively small domestic pro-
duction and as potash from foreign
sources has not been available during
the year, it is difficult to explain this ap-
parent lack of interest in the present
small domestic supply
There is a good deal of discussion
about present sources and production of
potash and apparently some confusion in
the Use of the terms by which this pro-
duction is expressed The following is
therefore brief summary of the situa-
ton based on the latest available data
The statistics for the year 1918 are not
yet complete.
Potash is a term commonly used in
referring to the miscellaneous. materials
carrying potassium which are used or
valued chiefly for the potassium con-
tanned in them. In 1913 the last year
before the war, there was imported into
the United States l,0905SS short tons
(gross weight OF the miscellaneous pot
ash-bearing materials equivalent to go
720 short tons of pure" or actual pot
ash. This includes the figures for the
following salts Kainite manure salts,
chloride (muriate), sulphate, bicarbonate,
bitartrate (argoll, bitartrate (cream of
tartar, carbonate (crude, crude black
salts, and refined, caustic, chlorate,
chromate, bichromate, ferricyanide tred
prussiate), lodide, nitrate (saltpeter,
crude and refined, permanganate and
Rochelle salts
Since 1918 the imports of these sub,
stances have greatly decreased, until
during 1916 and 1917 the total gross
weight of potash salts imported was only
about $4,000 short tons, containing about
5000 tons of actual" potash. By far
the greater part Of potash formerly inn
ported came from Germany, but some
of the substances named in the list have
come from other places and were received
even during the war