32 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ticularly in potash, for which this country was entirely dependent 

 upon the German mines. As a result of this reconnoissance, it be- 

 came evident that the largest and most immediately available source 

 of potash in this country was the giant kelps of the Pacific coast. 

 This conclusion was reached after detailed surveys had been made 

 of the kelp groves of southern California, the Puget Sound region, 

 and Alaska. The attention of the public was called to this source 

 in the hope that private capital would undertake its development. 



Germany in 1915 prohibited the .exportation of all potash salts. 

 This action greatly stimulated the attempts of American manufac- 

 turers to produce potash and resulted in the erection of eight large 

 plants in southern California for the extraction of this material from 

 kelp. These establishments were constructed at a cost ranging from 

 $50,000 to $2,000,000 and are centered around two cities, Long Beach 

 and San Diego, five at the former and three at the latter place. 

 They are operating harvesting equipment having an aggregate daily 

 capacity of 2,500 tons of raw kelp. On September 1, 1916, about 

 125,000 tons of raw kelp had been harvested and treated, yielding 

 approximately 10 per cent of dry kelp. 



Notwithstanding this comparatively rapid development in the kelp 

 industry, the problem of extracting potash from kelp commercially 

 has not been completely solved. It is essential that methods be de- 

 vised for producing the numerous by-products which can be obtained 

 from kelp. The plants now in operation, for the most part, are en- 

 gaged only in the extraction of potash. Owing to the present ab- 

 normal prices for this material, they are devoting relatively little 

 attention to the elaboration of processes for the recovery of by- 

 products. If this situation continues, they probably will not be able 

 to produce potash at a profit when conditions become normal. In the 

 circumstances, it seems desirable for the department to demonstrate 

 the commercial feasibility of producing potash and by-products from 

 kelp with a view to put the industry on a sound economic basis. The 

 Congress, upon the recommendation of the department, has made 

 available $175,000 for the purpose. Plans have been formulated 

 for erecting and operating, at some advantageous point on the 

 coast of southern California, a plant with a daily capacity of not less 

 than 200 tons of raw kelp, in order that the necessary experiments 

 may be conducted. 



It is hoped that these experiments will result in the establishment 

 of a potash industry which will prove profitable and permanent and 



