New Britain herald., 1928-01-09
POTASH ANOTHER Ia3 Ah~ ~- v.-- STAFF 0f. LIFE
  "a XUIo
N,tlrts Own Contribution to
 Plrmds' hbd

Washington. D. C.. Jan. s.-.Pot.
 ash recently reported fn Texas, ir
 tho Dead Sea. and near solikaaapk
 Russda, are Natures own eontribu.
 ton to farmer aid" said | bulletin
 from the Washington, D. C. head
 quarters of the National Geographic
 Society.
 Most of the world production oi
 potash is used for fertilizer. With
 phosphates and nitrates 1t forms the
 bread and meat of plant life. Veg
 etables grown in potash hungry land
 quickly perish. PotaAh applied to
 potash hungry land sometimes dou-
 bles farm crops.
 Taxes Place of Dobhia
 The earth's crust is filled with
 potash but when the original sup
 ply is exhausted. Nature h slow to
 renew tho element" continues the
 bulletin.
 When Dobbin and his stable
 mates pulled the blow and family buggy. stable manure supplied pot ash for the farm, but since stables have become garages and tractors and flivvers now occupy the space used for stalls the farmer has had to resort to artificial means of feed ing his crops In recent years many western farmers have forsaken cat tie raising and have planted their ranches in grain, thus changing these areas from potash producers to potash consumers.
 Potash used as fertilizer is called potassium chloride and potassium sulphate. In various other forms the commodity has many important uses. Mjlady's furs are dressed with potassium aluminium sulphate and it may purify the water she drinks. The colored design on srandma's calico dreas was printed with the use of potassium bichronate which is also extensively used by photo- sraphers, tanners and blueprint paper manufacturers.
 Potash for Nerves
 Every drugstore contains a jar of potassium bromide for medicinal use. Glass and soft soap manufac- turers employ potassium carbonate. while potassium chlorate is cssen- tial in the manufacture of Fourth of July firecracker and rockets, photosraphers' flashlight powder, and some paints and toothpastes.
 ~Gold is extracted from ore with potassium cyanide. Potassium hy- droxide i6 extensively used In soap. and grease making. The 1 pink color of canned corned beef Is l caused by potassium nitrate. better known aS saltpeter, which is a pre- servattve and also is used in the of black blasting pow ier. shrapnel shells, fuses, and sm okelesA powder charges.
 Potassium acetate and pota ssium are bleachers and 1 1yers. The latter also finds 1t way nto medical preparations. h strong disinfectant. and Is used in ,hA manufacture of saccharine. Po- tassium tartarate is the chief con- ;tituent Of cream of tartar. Baking ,owder manufact cturers use about 90 ,er cent of the supply. In the chem- cal laboratory. the uses of potash ire legion.
 ''rhe name potash was derived rom the early method of producing he commodity. Wood ashes were 'laced in pot and water over them from time to ime. Then the mineral was extract- d from the liquid. Thtsemethod has ven survived the mining of the arge deposits of potash which were iscovered in Germany in the middle f the last century. and which have ince been the worlds most import mt source. Before the World War he stassfurt and Alsace deposits ave the Kaiser virtual control of 1uch of the worlds agriculture.
 "A German chemist once re- larked that Germany can dictate 'hich nations shall have food and 'hich shall stsrve,' passing his boast pon German monopoly of potash. fter the war. however. Germany w France take the Alsace depos- :, and felt the results of develop lent in countries that had long de- ended upon German potash.
 "Italy was driven to extracting Dtash from lava and when the sup- y Of European potash dwindled in lis country, poor crops, traced di- 'ctly to shortage Of potash. forced le United States Government and dividuals to develop our potash sources. Toward the end of 1918 bout e50,000, ,0O0 had been invested potash production. Machines were aced aboard flat boats to harvest aweed from which potash was ex- acted, mines were opened in vari- IS parts of the country and many ms were extracted from sugar beet aste, wool waslinss, blast furnace lst. cement factory nue dust, and olasses disullery waste. From a oductiou of 1,0so tons in 1915. f industry reached its peak in 1918 1en 54,so3 tons were placed on e market.
 German and Alsatian potash readily soluble. while American tash is usually so locked up with her minerals, that cost of produc- n has heretofore made it impos- 'le to, compete with the European lustry. As . result. after the Armi- ce. farmers of the United States |ked again to Europe for some of sir potash.
 Travellers in southeastern Russia, 70 pass through thousands of acres