FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIE1 Y 
73 
to develop and increase other sources of 
potash supply, but only a very small 
amount is being produced as compared 
with the amount of German potash for¬ 
merly consumed. The principal Ameri¬ 
can sources the brines from certain Ne¬ 
braska lakes; the Searles Lake district in 
California which has recently advertised 
as able to produce 1,200 to 1,500 tons per 
month; the Giant Kelps off the Califor¬ 
nia coast which have proved a disappoint¬ 
ment because of difficulties in extracting 
and the amount of potash produced; 
Alunite which is now producing a limited 
quanity of very high grade sulphate of 
potash, and Ashes from various materials 
such as hardwood, cotton bolls, cotton 
hulls, etc. The last mentioned material, 
(ashes), is used in a fertilizer way in its 
crude form. There is, however, a limited 
amount of carbonate of potash being pro¬ 
duced from ashes which is being taken up 
by the glass makers, soap makers, etc. 
It is hardly necessary to comment on 
reasons for shortage in supply and ad¬ 
vanced price of potash. 
SULPHURIC ACID 
Sulphuric acid is not generally thought 
of in connection with fertilizer, yet it 
plays an extremely important part in the 
manufacture of certain materials; for in¬ 
stance, in changing insoluble and unavail¬ 
able phosphates into soluble and available 
forms, such as acid phosphate, dissolved 
bone, dissolved bone black, etc. It also 
is essential in the manufacture of sulphate 
of ammonia. 
Many sulphuric acid plants closed down 
in the fall of 1914 by reason of the antici¬ 
pated greatly decreased demand for fer¬ 
tilizer on account of the cotton situation 
and general demoralization. When the 
general outlook began to brighten, large 
contracts were placed by the Allies with 
munitions manufacturers who then re¬ 
quired large quantities of sulphuric acid 
and who lacked supplies to care for this 
sudden and greatly increased demand for 
explosives. There has been for several 
year^. a very considerable quantity of sul¬ 
phur x acid manufactured by zinc and 
copper smelters which has gone into the 
manufacture of acid phosphate. Con¬ 
tracts were made between these large pro¬ 
ducers and munitions manufacturers. 
This created the prospect of a large short¬ 
age of acid phosphate. Acid plants were 
immediately opened again and started in 
full force. 
Then there came into play certain ele¬ 
ments which have affected the fertilizer 
materials market generally. Sulphuric 
acid requires sulphur or sulphur ore, also 
nitrate of soda, for its manufacture. 
These materials are imported. The war 
situation created an extreme shortage of 
vessels, making it hard to get bottoms to 
bring these materials to this country. 
Furthermore, the shortage of vessels and 
increased risk caused vessel owners to ad¬ 
vance their freights as much as 600 per 
cent to 700 per cent over normal rates. 
War risk made it necessary to carry ex¬ 
cess insurance. Munition manufacturers 
were willing to pay extremely high prices 
for sulphuric acid which they simply had 
to have. Notwithstanding these influ¬ 
ences, the prices of acid phosphate did not 
advance in anything like the proportion 
that might be expected. 
