LANDS BEARING POTASH AND BELATED SALINES. 137 



CLASSIFICATION OF POTASH-BEARING LANDS. 



Congress, responding to the urgent recommendation of the Presi- 

 dent, has so amended the withdrawal act (p. 43) that deposits of 

 potassium-rich minerals may be included in reserves until an appro- 

 priate law for their disposition is enacted. In ^-iew of the variety of 

 such deposits in commercially available form and of their impor- 

 tance in industry, it is doubtless the intention of Congress, if the 

 present search is successful, to make appropriate provision for their 

 development and disposal. Meanwhile, as investigation by the 

 scientists of the Government bureaus reveals promising localities, 

 these localities, if they involve public lands, will be withdrawn from 

 entry until their value as sources of potash can be demonstrated or 

 disproved. If they prove to contain rich deposits the withdrawals 

 will be maintained until Congress can act. Three reserves of this 

 type have already been created by the President. They include 

 133,829 acres in Nevada and California. 



The order of withdrawal by which potash reserve No. 2 was created 

 is given herewith as an example of this type of action. 



Department of the Intebior, 



United States Geological Sitrvet, 



Washington, February 20, 1913. 

 The honorable the Secretary or the Interior. 



Sir : Investigations by the Geological Survey in the State of California indi- 

 cate that the lands listed below, which lie within a dry lake known as Searles 

 Lake, probably contain valuable deposits of potash. I therefore recommend the 

 submission to the President of the following order of withdrawal, which involves 

 69,840 acres. 



Very respectfully, Geo. Otis Smith, 



Director. 



February 20, 1913. 

 Eespectfully referred to the President with favorable recommendation. 



Walter L. Fisher, 



Secretary. 

 Order of Withdrawal. 



Potash reserve No. 2 — California No. 1. 



Under and pursuant to the provisions of the act of Congress approved June 

 25, 1910 (36 Stat., 847), entitled "An act to authorize the President of the 

 United States to make withdrawals of public lands in certain eases," as 

 amended by act of Congress approved August 24, 1912 (Public No. 316), it is 

 hereby ordered that the following described lands be, and the same are hereby, 

 withdrawn from settlement, location, sale, or entry and reserved for classifica- 

 tion and in aid of legislation affecting nonmetalliferous mineral deposits : 



Mount Diablo meridian, California. 



T. 24 S., R. 43 E., sec. 32, SE. i of SE i ; 

 sec. .33, S. i; 

 ' sec. 84, SW. i, W. \ of SE. i, SB. i of SE. \ ; 

 see. 35, S. i of SW. i. 



