SOURCES AND USE OF POTASH SALTS 151 



oranges. It is not deliquescent and, hence, is easily dis- 

 tributed. 



In connection with the use of commercial potash salts 

 it is interesting to note that plants take up a large part 

 of their food, especially in the form of potassium and phos- 

 phorus, and store it in the early stages of development ; while 

 nitrogen is taken up, and carbonaceous material, such as 

 starches and sugars, is for the most part formed in the later 

 stages of the plants' development. This emphasizes the 

 importance of applying the potash salts and the phos- 

 phorus-bearing fertilizers before planting the crop, and the 

 soluble nitrogen as a topdressing. 



107. Tendency to use too much Potash. It is also inter- 

 esting to remember that most of the potash is stored in the 

 leaves and the stalks of the plant, and, if these materials 

 are incorporated in the soil or fed on the farm and the man- 

 ure carefully conserved and returned to the soil, there will 

 be comparatively a small loss of potash from the soil, 

 although the plant makes use of more of it than of any other 

 ash element. This fact, and the high content of potash 

 present in most soils, shows that in many sections the 

 application of commercial potash is largely over-done. To 

 judge his potash needs accurately the farmer must thor- 

 oughly understand the functions of potash, the composition 

 and condition of his soil, and the requirements of the crops 

 that he is growing. There is no element that pays so hand- 

 somely when needed or is so valueless when unnecessarily 

 applied. 



