EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER. 



OUR SOURCES OF POTASH. 



A MONG the substances that we might emplv^y for 

 the purpose of providing our lands and crops 

 with potash are, first of all, the alkaline salts im- 

 ported from Germany, chiefly muriate (or chlor- 

 ide) of potash, sulphate of potash, and kainit. There 

 is only one mine now known where these manurial 

 salts are obtained, but the supply is said to be inex- 

 haustible. The story of its discovery is quite in- 

 teresting. It is more than thirty years ago, when I 

 stood on the spot, and saw the piles of what was 

 then considered a poor quality of " cattle salt," and 

 rather a "nuisance;" for the government of the 

 little principality of Anhalt-Bernburg was then in 

 search of the pure rock salt, layers of which were 

 supposed to extend over the line to " Leopoldshall," 

 from the great deposits at Stassfurt on the Prussian 

 side. The impure article, however, continued to 

 come, and no pure salt appeared in sight. A 



