No. 5. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 275 



samples found of potash salts on sale. By the first of August much, 

 of course, of the Fall buying by consumers had been contracted. The 

 selling prices show no increase in cost to the consumer of the potash 

 he bought last Fall. 



What, however, of the coming year? These long nights, when 

 angelic dreams of |2.00 wheat and maybe $1.00 corn bless the 

 farmer's bed, it is joy-destroying to have a spectre of potash famine 

 appear in the near background — a real spectre such as the news 

 might w^ell create, that, in October, our imports of muriate and sul- 

 phate of potash were only 600 tons, as contrasted with 17,000 tons 

 in October, 1913; of manure salts, 1,225 tons vs. 18,416 tons; and of 

 kainit none vs. 56,000 tons in 1913. In December, Atlanta, Balti- 

 more and New York talked about |73 to $75 a ton for muriate, but 

 there was not much to sell. Arrivals in port were few and small. 

 But the week ending January 15th of 3,020 tons of muriate, 685 tons 

 of sulphate, 693 tons of manure salts and 50 tons of kainit were re- 

 ceived in New York from Rotterdam chiefly consigned for the most 

 part directly to fertilizer manufacturers, besides other receipts in 

 other ports, and the consideration that the manufacturers by dimin- 

 ishing Fall deliveries were enabled to carry over some of last year's 

 stock for this year's use, ought at least to soften '5ome of the potash 

 famine spectre's alarming effects. 



But at the best there must be a great shortage. A 3% maximum 

 for potash is now the line fixed. Still, our new supplies of potash 

 salts probably cost our manufacturers more a ton, and we may ex- 

 pect to give them some of the hoped profit on the wheat w^e have held 

 for the highest price ; and we may well ask how we can economize on 

 potash use. By no means try to economize by buying worthless or 

 very poor substitutes. There couldn't be a better time to push the 

 sales of powered feldspar, phonolith, and stone meal fertilizers. But 

 even now is not a good time to buy them. They probably do the 

 plants a little good, but not enough to put back into your pocket the 

 dollars you spend for them. It would be a good time to develop, if 

 we could, our own pota.sh supplies. The government is hunting for 

 concentrated deposits like those at Stessforth, Germany, but has yet 

 found nothing enough like them to pay working. We are assured 

 that the kelp drifting upon the Pacific Ocean contains enough potash 

 to furnish our supply; but we are not told that it can be furnished at 

 ruling prices. 



Some of our ablest capitalists and chemical experts are studying 

 earnestly the possibilities of chemical conversion of the potash 

 locked up in feldspar, aluminite and similar minerals, but have not 

 yet found a way to do it to economic advantage. It is, however, 

 an excellent time better to save your liquid manure, and to get your 

 manure more evenly distributed in the field, and used where it will 

 count most in cash returns; and it is a very good season to use the 

 best seed, and to cultivate thoroughly and at the right time. It is 

 worth while, also, to ask whether you have been getting back all the 

 money you have spent on potash for your general farm crops — T am 

 not talking especially about potatoes, truck and tobacco, but of 

 grains, grasses and even fruits. Of the various Eastern soils upon 

 which field experiments with fertilizers have been made, compara- 

 tively few show potash as the food element chiefly efficient for the 

 common rotation crops. Usually rock and potash gives a better 



