POTASSIC MANURES 123 



obtained in large quantities as a by-product maker 

 this method of getting at the potash in feldspas 

 quite promising. 



In the manufacture of potash in the Cau- 

 casus from the sunflower plant, the ashes of 

 the stem and the branches of the sunflower 

 yield the raw material. The first potash factory 

 was established in 1899 at Maikopp, by Schapo- 

 nalow. Difficulties occurred at first because 

 experience was wanting. But gradually the 

 conditions of production improved, and new 

 factories were started. According to the official 

 statistics in 1907, 11 of these factories produced 

 475,563 poods of potash. According to informa- 

 tion supplied by the manufacturers twenty-four 

 factories were in operation in 1908, and some 

 of them produced from several thousands up to 

 200,000 poods of potash. The total production 

 of these factories was from 700,000 to 900,000 

 poods, representing a value of 22,000,000 rubles. 

 The stems of the sunflower are generally burnt 

 by the farmers themselves. But certain manu- 

 facturers also burn the plant buying the stems 

 of 10,000 to 15,000 deciatines, for which they 

 pay 3 to 4 rubles per deciatine. A deciatine of 

 sunflower yields in good ground 200 to 300 poods 

 of stems and in bad ground 100 poods only, 

 from which 3 to 5 per cent of ashes may be ex- 

 tracted, and 3 to 4 poods of ashes give one pound 

 of potash. The percentage of carbonate of potash 

 is 20 to 35 per cent. The appearance of the ash 



