Show SEARCHING FOR POTASH One OM of the important fertilizers Is potash great of ot which have had to be imported from I Germany German In an effort to make America independent nt of or a foreign supply the federal potash act was passed which provides pro for exploring exploring exploring ing where potash deposits might be bo found fou d Under the terms of the act the tests which take the form torm of core drilling are made operatively co-operatively by bythe bythe bythe the departments of ot the interior and of commerce The geological sur sun survey vey ey selects drilling sites studies and the cores and reports the results of i the ithe investigation The bureau of mines conducts the drilling operations and delivers the cores to the geological survey sur The first core test was made on public land in Eddy Edd county counts New Mexico The site was not the first choice of or the geological survey or even the fifth choice The restrictive restrictive tive language of ot the the act under which the well was drilled required that hat all lessees or owners of lands II or of ot mineral rights within a ra ra- ra dius of one mile of any proposed site must sign contracts of 0 agree agree- agreements agreements ments meats to reimburse the government govel for the costs of ot exploration before beCore any work would be started No Noland Noland land and owner or lessee Jessee cared to sign such a contract so that the co coop cooperating crating departments were auto auto- automatically automatically excluded from areas where the better showings had been indicated by drill cuttings Under the conditions named it is surprising that the results obtained are so favorable as they are About 60 50 beds or groups of beds containing two per cent or more of potash were ere encountered be- be between between tween depths of and 1770 feet feeL The depth of the hole was 1847 feet leet Fourteen beds ranged in thickness from Crom one inch to six feet leet two wo inches and potash In potash content from rom to 1647 per cent The geological survey should be invited to bore on the desert lands near near Lakeside across Great Salt lake ake where conditions should be favorable fa |