-40%
1911 magazine article, AMERICAN POTASH FOR AMERICA, geologic exploration
$ 4.22
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Selling is a 1911 magazine article about:POTASH
Title: AMERICAN POTASH FOR AMERICA
Author: Guy Elliot Mitchell of the US Geological Survey
Quoting the first page “In the great Stassfurt potash salt deposits Germany holds a world's monopoly of this precious fertilizing element. By a cleverly devised system of fixing quotas for all active mines and by imposing a heavy tax on all productions in excess of arbitrarily fixed quotas, the German Government has forced the United States to the full realization of this very embarrassing fact. The importance to the United States of developing an American potash industry to offset such a condition may be appreciated from the fact that last year we sent to Germany ,000,000 for this mineral, peculiarly vital to every farmer in the land. Incidentally it may be remarked that the German deposits are practically inexhaustible, being estimated to contain, at the present rate of consumption, sufficient potash for the entire world for half a million years.
Tell the farmer that his supply of potash is endangered and it is like notifying the locomotive fireman that he will get no more coal, for potash is a necessary constituent of every bag of fertilizer which the farmer purchases when he drills in his wheat or rye or oats, when he plants his corn, his tobacco, or potatoes; in fact, every farm, fruit, and garden crop.
There are three elements necessary to plant growth, and potash is one of them. It is coequal with phosphorus and nitrogen, and everyone of the 50 to 55 million sacks of fertilizer sold each year must carry a printed guarantee of the percentage of potash therein contained.
Germany is to some extent dependent upon our broad American acres for her food supply, but we are wholly dependent upon her for the continued production of a grain, fruit, and livestock surplus for export. Such a surplus is made possible only through soil stimulation by fertilizing.
The German attitude in this matter, while working an apparent immediate injury, cannot in reality prove other than a blessing in disguise to the United States. Without this agitation of the subject we would in all probability have continued for many years buying enormous quantities of potash salts, since the German deposits are almost inexhaustible. Now, however, our present helplessness has been demonstrated, and so we shall be compelled to develop our own latent potash resources until we are independent of any foreign supply.
It can be authoritatively stated that there is abundance of potash in the United States for present and future needs for fertilizing, for the manufacture of explosives, and for every other possible use.
Our potash possibilities will be developed along two distinct lines: exploration for potash salts and utilization of potash-rich rocks. It is believed that systematic searches for potash deposits, similar to those of Germany. will also lead to the discovery of beds of soda nitrate which may rival the great Chilean deposits. In 1910 our purchases of these two fertilizing materials-nitrate from Chile and potash from Germany-amounted to over ,000.000. Within the next decade, at the present rate of increase in consumption, the figures will reach over ,000,000 a year.
Of great interest, therefore, are the preparations of the United States Geological Survey for the exploration for potash-salt deposits in the desert regions of the west. For this work Congress made a special appropriation of ,000.
To understand how the geologists will search for potash, it will be well to consider the manner in which the German potash deposits were formed, bearing in mind the fact that ocean water contains considerable potash. Ochsenius, the …"
7” x 10”, 7 pages, 5 B&W photos
These are pages from an actual 1911 magazine. No reprints or copies.
11D3
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