Potash: a Review, Estimate and Forecast

Abstract

FIFTEEN years ago, America's entire dependence upon imported potash led her to initiate a survey of possible home sources of this essential substance, which was scarcely completed when the breaking out of the War emphasised the importance of developing domestic resources. In pre-War days, Germany practically held the monopoly of the world's potash supply, but afterwards, when France obtained possession of the Alsatian mines, an agreement was made whereby Germany dealt with 62.5 per cent. and France with 37.5 per cent. of American and other demands for potash. In 1922 the world consumption was 1,600,000 tons of potash salts, far below the limit of producing capacity of Germany alone. At present the price is below pre-War rates, and this has caused in America an almost entire deflation of the development of the potash industries which had arisen during the War period. America's need is to push the domestic production of potash to such a point as to secure the possibility of the production of full home supplies in case of war.

Potash: a Review, Estimate and Forecast.

By Dr. J. W. Turrentine. (The Wiley Agricultural Series.) Pp. ix + 188. (New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc.; London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1926.) 15s. net.