ARTIFICIAL FERTILIZERS 26$ 



Wood ashes are rich in potash and are a valuable addition to 

 the soil. But the amount of potash thus obtained is far too 

 limited to supply the needs of agriculture ; and to-day the 

 main sources of potash are the vast deposits of potassium 

 salts found in Prussia. 



Although Germany now furnishes the American farmer 

 with the bulk of his potash, she may not do so much longer. 

 In 1911 an indirect potash tax was levied by Germany on her 

 best customer, the United States, to whom 1 5 million dollars' 

 worth of potash had been sold the preceding year. This led 

 Americans to inquire whether potash could not be obtained at 

 home. 



Geologists say that long ages ago an ocean covered 

 Germany, that the waters of the ocean slowly evaporated and 

 that the various substances in the sea water were deposited 

 on the ocean bed in thick layers. The deposits thus left by the 

 evaporation of the sea water gradually became hidden by sedi- 

 ment and soil, and lost to sight. From such deposits, potash 

 is obtained. Geologists tell us that our own Western States 

 were once covered by an ocean x and that the waters evapo- 

 rated and disappeared from our land very much as they did 

 from Germany. The Great Salt Lake of Utah is a relic of 

 such an ocean. If it be true that an ocean once covered our 

 Western States, there may be buried deposits of potash there, 

 and to-day the search for the hidden treasure is going on with 

 the energy and enthusiasm characteristic of America. 



Another probable source of potash is seaweed. The sea 

 is a vast reservoir of potash, and seaweed, especially the 

 giant kelp, absorbs large quantities of this potash. A ton of 

 dried kelp (dried by sun and wind) contains about 500 pounds 

 of pure potash. The kelps are abundant, covering thousands 

 of square miles in the Pacific Ocean, from Mexico to the 

 Arctic Ocean. 



