FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
11T 
and other less important compounds, which from their very 
causation are only found in the upper strata. 
“From what has heretofore been said, it follows that Stass- 
furt possesses a comparatively inexhaustible supply of potash 
salt. Further geological exploration may discover deposits 
similar to these at Stassfurt, but none such are now known 
to exist, and hence it may be said that practically ‘Stassfurt 5 " 
supplies the world with potash.” 
There are nine different potash mines, but they are all 
under the control of one syndicate, and to such an extent has- 
the potash become in use that to-day these mines employ 
over 4,000 miners, and it takes nearly 6,000 laborers to manu* 
facture the different grades of goods that come from the 
mines. The product that we are most interested in is high 
grade sulphate of potash analyzing from 90 to 96 per cent.. 
Double manure salt, or as it lis generally known, low grade- 
potash, analyzing about 48 to 50 per cent, and kainit 22 to 24c 
per cent, sulphate potash, also muriate of potash, which shows 
about 50 per cent, of actual potash. Which of these four is 
the best for the grower depends on what he is growing and' 
what kind of soil he is expecting to apply it. If he is in the 
garden business raising cabbages, leituce, celery, etc., muri¬ 
ate of potash or kainit would be his best source of potash,, 
the muriate being by far the cheapest form. I could not rec¬ 
ommend it for application to fruit trees, although I know of 
it being u*ed in a small way on b aring orange trees without 
any apparent damage. I have also known ot the leaves and 
fruit being taken off an orange tree by an ex ra large dose of 
kainit. I am frequently asked which is the best potash to use, 
the high or low grade, to which I reply that if the place of 
consumption is not too far away from the seaport, I believe 
the low grade will give the best results for the same amount 
of money. The cost of potash per unit in both grades is 
practically the same ex-vessel at any seaport, but from that 
instance the cost per unit commences to increase in the lower 
grade. Where the freight doe* not exceed $5 I should always 
reeommend the low grade, for in my mind the magnesia that 
it contains is worth more than it costs. 
Repeated analyses of our soils show a deficiency of potash,, 
and if one will but stop and think a few minutes it will not 
be hard to account for it. Take an orange grove, and in nine 
cases out of ten where it has been fertilized at all it has had 
ammoniated goods to produce a rank growth and the tree 
has done it. 
The majority of these fertilizers have no potash in them at 
all; the tree uses every particle it can get hold of, at the same 
time there is an abundance of phosphoric acid. With ammo^- 
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