The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, July 22, 1900, Page 15

7 Y now and again some scien- | vestigator, delving deep { e secrets of matural forces, g is e menace which d to threaten world wide r the human how many of the ea plee s ained for Edward and po- and ure g 3 = as the b i i « e s f manne sther elements of vege- 1 deposit arising & on of cer- no op- T the ordinary se st be supplied, if s e matter if these m most every pa d seem probable S t would be of fre- t as Mr. exist they to the present time. Practically every bit of the potash used L ] > * TR AR DR TSE TR SR TR AR @ Y * =] - » A MR. ATKINSON'S STARTLING STATEMENT. ¢ b “Whereis the potash of the United States and of the other conti- * § me de from Europe? The world now depends for its entire sup- 4 ply upon a single mine in Saxony, and yet there should be vast de- ‘/ R s s of that mineral in the alkaline and salt plainsof this country. ¥ If they are there it is the duty of geologists to find them. The men /) who make the discovery of great potash deposits will confer a greater blessing upon the world than they would by unearthing all the gold and silver in existence. K OHDSH A DA TSR TR T AR S AT A TR TSR TSAT @ THE SUNDAY CALL. o WOULD A POTASH FAMINE BRING MEN WOULD PROSPECT WITH GREATER’ ZEAL in the United States is imported, ana the volume of these imports is increasing rap- idly, as the constant working of the soil makes the use of fertilizers more and more necessary. At the present time thess imports amount to more than $2,000,000 yearly, although the proportion of our soil the Famous Anti.Expansionist Thinks That the Lack of Potash May Destroy Humanity. 1 stimulus 18 relatively tash is not now expensive, necessity of bringing It The real danger, as Pc even with the Atlantic. across Mr. Atkinson sees it, is in the exhaustion of the source of supply when the demand grows, as it is practically certain to do, in ing ratio Mr. Atkinson contends that a from the exhaustion of the is ‘mminent, but the possi- h a famine are interesting uld come about grad- of course, the dwindling of the sup- ply being accompanied by a steady in- crease in price. The first result, therefore, be to place this once humble pro- ies of to contemplate. It w duet among the preclous metals. As time went on it would rank, as Mr. Atkinson BUg! ts, even above silver and gold. Before this point was reached, however, the rise in the value of the mineral would cause it to be sought after eagerly in every part of the world, would lead to the \ B .. I} STRAsSFuRT, I CALIFORMIAS RICH FERTILITY TO THIS 9 INTO THE SEARCH FOR GOLD. conserving of the present source of sup- ply and to an attempt to find new ones. Men would prospect for potash with greater zeal than they now put into search after gold. The terrors of the al- kall deserts would be braved and men would bore for the precious deposits all AJ A MONOPOLY OF THE e Te Doomed to a Thorld's Famine? Ecw zrd Rikinson serted and a race of beings growing stead- ly weaker and weaker and, even in the intermediate stages of the change. entire- Iy different from those who now inhabit the earth. It is reass us of opinion among scier extreme condition realized. to note that the con- ists is that cc ne That s the SAXOMNY, ENJOYS ST While the rest ve to Hanover, prospecting over the burning plains of At the same time, efforts wo to gather the product from the sources of s in e some financially profitable m cording to Professor Dittn greatest of all these souarces and no doubt brains of sclentists be racl means of separating this potash from the waves. In all prim the supply of wood t tatned by lixiv This source would be br: and gradually the forest trees plants as nettles, wo! tobacco kelp, all of which are ca ply now re for potash depos s of any mmercial woul ed s were form- estigation to be a vers s Geological attempt to country, partment 1ght more largely upon the food requir- il be ly a small amot sh for time. h, and a comple ts of ! Depar adds the with the rising necessity ¢ methods will be developed for uti On this 1 Department is system of ¢ me he unpl ne Ing the potash in the soil itseif. problem the work. nal re e a world growir and more completely devoid barren of vegetation, house: now 0 THTATHAT AT AT AT ATATATAT AT AT AT AT ATAT @ Z WHY PROFESSOR STRUTHERS ISN'T ¢ 0 ALARMED. 3 A * A ¢ 4 x “I cannot see cause for alarm in Dr. Atkinson’s theories. Itis * Q mot unlikely that potash beds exidt in this country and that they () ¥ will be found. At any rate the Saxony mines, it is estimated, have * A ( a supply of 10,000,000,000 tons, sufficient to last for thirty- ? % three centuries at the present rate of consumption. There is scarcely * O any occasion for immediate alarm.”—Professor Joseph Struthers /,\ 5 of Columbia University School of Mines. ’5 B TATATHTHAT RS AT YT R T R TETETETES RS