MURIATE OF POTASH.

Timaru Herald, Volume CXXIII, 9 April 1926, Page 3

MURIATE OF POTASH.

LITTLE USED IN NETT ZEALAND,

It is noted with some surprise that very little muriate is included in Dominion orderings of fertilisers. A country which finds so considerable a use for kainit, 20 and 30 per cent, salts, is surely not one which must avoid the cheaper and potassically richer muriate in favour of sulphate, because of the chloride combination of the vastly more generally used muriate, for, speaking from a world’s consumption standpoint, muriate is used in very much greater degree than sulphate. It can scarcely be said that the different uses to which high and lower grade salts are put in New Zealand, enter into the matter, because (1) with the exception of tobacco, muriate is just as useful as sulphate for any growth, and for some is definitely preferable, and (2) mixers in the Dominion do now in some degree employ 30 per cent, potash salts in their mixed manures. Old prejudices die slowly. For instance, it is still quite usual to find solemn warnings issued against the use of muriate for potatoes, uttered by writers who are really only repeating from earlier authors, and who certainly could not explain exactly why the muriate form of potash is thus undesirable, but would if pressed for reasons for their belief, wisely seek to escape in a mist of generalities and surmise. In South Australia, at Woodside, a muriate versus sulphate trial on potatoes has recently concluded. The maximum results followed upon the use of muriate in each case, and the trial being on field scale by a very wellknown grower, is accepted as convincing, and since the yield (with muriate), reached IS tons per acre, it was highly satisfactory to the trialist.

The author of the text hook “Principles of Australian Agriculture,” W. C. C-rasby, has been investigating this matter and writing in the “Western Mail,” Perth, advocates muriate in these terms: —“l presume that the Denmark (W.A.) growers have been using sulphate of potash, but after the evidence I have printed from time to lime, they will probably use muriate, which is cheaper and certainly equally as good for producing a crop which is all they neod concern themselves about, for even if it be correct, which I doubt, that sulphate gives a better quality potato, the growers would get more for them.

Those facts seem worthy of presentation to indentors: cheaper per ton than sulphate; (2) It is also very considerably cheaper per unit k. 0.; (3) It is in vastly greater demand in Europe acji Ame-

rlca than is sulphate; (4) It is already growing very rapidly in demand in Australia; (5) Whereas numerous trials to test its efficiency as against that of sulphate have been undertaken, the writer is unaware of a single one which has disclosed any ill results as following upon its use, but can quote several in which the results from the use of sulphate were distinctly inferior to those following upon the application of muriate; (6) the pre-war condition of approximate equality of price per ton between the two forms will probably never be restored, and the advantages of using muriate rather than sulphate seem likely to be paramount. So that eventually indentors and growers in the Dominion will fall into line with the rest ot' the world in the preponderating consumption of the cheaper, yet equally valuable form of potash.