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EDITION
Vol. 18, No. 15
The American Potash Institute Reaches Its Fifth Anniversary
T
HE American Potash Institute, chartered under the laws of Delaware pertaining to corporations "not organized for profit", came into existence as of July 1, 1935. Its organisers were the four principal companies at that time engaged in potash activities in the United States. Previously thereto since 1895 educational or consumer service types of work relating to the profitable use of potash in American agriculture had been carried on by the importers, almost exclusively. These efforts, conducted on a highly ethical plane, were well received by the agricultural public and yielded favorable results, establishing their value. With the increase in domestic production and the corresponding decline in ratio of imports, it seemed to those in the industry that such research and educational activities could most economically, effectively, and fairly be carried on as an industry effort, as had been done successfully in other industries, rather than as a duplication that would result from being carried on by the separate efforts. The logic of the situation prevailed, resulting in the organization of the American Potash Institute, Inc.
Purposes The objects or purposes of the institute
Insufficient potash on cotton results in "cotton rust", premature shedding of leaves, and near failure of crops.
are well stated in the Certificate of Incorporation, reading in part as follows: To promote the efficient and profitable use of potash in agriculture in Cuba, Canada, and in the United States including Hawaii and Puerto Rico; to serve as a medium for the exchange of information on the use and consumption of potash between the members of the corporation on the one hand, and the several State, Federal, Provincial, Dominion, and Territorial agricultural authorities and all others interested in the use of potash fertilizers in agriculture, on the other hand, and cooperate as a unit with other plant food producers; to aid in securing the coordination and cooperation in experimental work and the use of potash between members of the corporation and agricultural workers and between members of the corporation and State and Federal agricultural authorities; and to conduct research and experimental work with potash and to disseminate practical potash information to members of the corporation, potash distributors, the fertilizer trade, agricultural advisers, and especially the farmer. The institute is governed by a Board of Directors, the chairman, who is also managing director and president, and two each from the member companies. The territory embraced in the activities of the institute, for administrative purposes, was divided on the basis of agricultural characteristics into five divisions designated respectively the Northeast, South, Midwest, Western States, and Canada. With the main office in Washington, D. C , branch offices were established in Atlanta, Ga., Lafayette, Ind., San Jose, Calif., and Hamilton, Ontario. Each division was placed in charge of a regional manager, with a total of 10 field agronomists divided appropriately among the five divisions. To the Washington office were assigned a chemist, chief and assistant agronomists, economists, editors, librarians, an accountant, and a clerical staff. The personnel has now grown to 40, of whom 21 are in the field branches. In filling key positions it was recognized that those appointed must be possessed of training and experience that would assure their ability to work with the agricultural scientists with whom they were
This firing on corn leaf edges is indicative of available potash deficiency. The institute emphasizes the significance of nutrient deficiency symptoms. to be associated. This means that in their presentation of potash matters they must be informed in and guided by scientific evidence with full regard for the farmer's economic welfare to the same degree as are the federal and state scientists. While this is a fundamental condition of employment, it does not represent any curb on legitimate potash activities since, with few exceptions, the agricultural authorities advise potash use greatly in excess of that now being employed. With this background, they are admitted to the councils of the scientists and thus are enabled to keep abreast of the latest developments in agricultural thought and to contribute with authority expert information relative to potash matters. The regional managers, through their own wide contacts and the monthly reports from their state agronomists, are informed in detail relative to the agriculture of their respective territories. As an advisory group for the institute they provide current and expert information regarding the agriculture of the territory involved. The functions assigned the field agrono-
Effects of fertilization on crop quality are studied. Left. Coarse, puffy oranges which received insufficient potash. Right. Solid, juicier fruit properly fertilized.
A group of fertilizer men pictured inspecting cotton on plots of the Sand Hill Experiment Station in South Carolina. The institute cooperates with the state experiment stations in organizing field tours of experimental and demonstrational plots. mists are principally to secure and transmit to their respective chiefs detailed information concerning the agricultural activities of their states, such as fertility practices and their changes, current research and resultant teachings by authorities, crop conditions, economic conditions, and plant food requirements. Thus, through the medium of monthly reports to the respective territorial managers and by them to the main office, detailed information relative to principal agricultural areas is obtained monthly. Further duties assigned the field agronomists are to test soils, observe potash deficiency symptoms, and thus locate areas where increased potash use is needed. They plan and conduct demonstrations of state-approved fertilizer applications, in cooperation with agricultural officials; organize inspection tours aided by local officials, the fertilizer trade, and farmers; record the resulting crop yields, and make them available to the interested public through articles in the local press and talks before farmer assemblies. Potash use being a concomitant of fertilizer use and the latter being dependent on farm income, it is essential that economic trends be charted and analyzed for their bearing on potash demand and consumption. Potash use in the last analysis is a matter of farm economics, which circumstance requires the constant and detailed services of economists and statisticians. There is a continuous demand for s t a t i s t i c a l d a t a on t h e movement of potash salts in d o m e s t i c t r a d e and on c o n sumption. Federal and other statistical groups and the techn i c a l press require t h i s i n formation, which the institute can supply in reliable form. To meet this requirement, quarterly and
annual summaries of potash deliveries and series of reports dealing with the economics and statistics of agriculture as related to the fertilizer industry have been published.
policy has been consistently followed as preferable to the establishment of additional laboratories. Accordingly, during the past 5 years the institute has established and maintained, for periods varying in accordance with the nature of the problem, a total of 40 fellowships dealing with potash and 10 dealing Activities with boron research projects in 31 of the At the end of its first 5 years, the inagricultural states where such unsolved stitute has developed the following as its conditions were described as acute. These major activities: problems embrace studies both fundamental and practical in soil chemistry, SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. TO aid in the soil analysis, plant analysis, plant physisolution of specific problems relating to ology, and particularly agronomy as apthe agricultural use of potash, the instiplied to a great variety of crops grown on tute undertook the promotion of rethe prevailing soil types of the several search on such problems, as they arose in principal agricultural sections of the territhe several states, through the establishtory covered. While research projects ment of research fellowships or cash grants may be written around potash, boron, and in state and provincial institutions—unimagnesium, it is obvious that in most inversities, agricultural colleges, and experistances they must of necessity involve all ment stations. In view of the many exof the other plant foods in proper ratios, cellent research centers already in existas well as many factors controlling the ence designed and equipped for and enprofitable production of crops. The degaged in research of similar nature, this mand soon developed considerably in excess of funds available. These fellowships are conducted entirely under the direction of the authorities in charge of the appropriate offices of the respective i n s t i t u t i o n s where established. In most instances, the funds expended have cont r i b u t e d t o t h e s u p p o r t of s t u d e n t s g e n e r a l l y pursuing g r a d u a t e work. During t h e past 5 years some 55 students have been so a s s i s t e d . The r e s u l t s , when o b t a i n e d , are published by them in the form of theses, journal articles, or e x p e r i m e n t s t a t i o n bulletins. During the course of such inv e s t i g a t i o n s the institute wields no influence w h a t e v e r other than that represented by Kit developed by S. F. Thornton, Purdue University, for the memorandum of agreement rapid tests of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, and of or c o n t r a c t c o v e r i n g t h e hydrogen-ion concentration in toils and plant
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arrangement which in every instance receives the scrutiny and approval of Dean, Director, President, or Board of Regents. DEMONSTRATIONS.
The
field
staff of the institute, in the several states where stationed, conducts field demonstrations to make visible to the local public the advantages of following the state fertilizer recommendations as they pertain to crops and soils and other local conditions. These demonstrations, 2063 during the 5-year period, have been carried out with the cooperation of local agricultural officials who recognise in them an extension of their own educational facilities.
EDITION
Vol. 18, No. 15 Industry Awakens to Need for Protective Lighting INDUSTRY is awakening to the
acute need for the protective night lighting of its plants and grounds to guard against sabotage, according to A. F. Dickerson, manager of General Electric's lighting division at Schenectady, N. Y., who says:
This is indicated in the flood of inquiries which recently have come to our laboratory from all parts of the United States and from all kinds of industrial plants. The U. S. Government is particularly active in this respect, having ordered the protective LITERATURE. TO give wider Right. No potash fertilization. Left. Fertilized with lighting of many dams and locks and more pointed circularization potash. Deficiency on corn is shown by the chaffy ears. on important rivers. Electric utiliof authoritative data and disties also are actively engaged in providing protective lighting for cussions relative to the use of their power houses, substations, and adpotash in agriculture the institute engages tions. Two bibliographies are currently jacent properties. in several lines of activity in the informabeing issued, one dealing with the agritional field. It publishes Better Crops with cultural use of potash and the other with Pointing out that night protection of Plant Food, an agronomic journal written that of borax, affording the busy research plants and properties needs individual atin popular style, 10 issues per year, which scientist, lecturer, and writer a convenient tention, Mr. Dickerson explains that the is sent gratis to a current mailing list of guide to world literature. These efforts one fundamental to keep in mind is that 18,000 made up of libraries, agricultural have been designed to make more readily protective lighting should be of definite officials, and others interested in fertilizer accessible the vast maze of scientific inadvantage to the property protected and practices. Articles are contributed by formation relating to potash in agriculture. of disadvantage to the saboteur or crimiwell-known scientific workers and relate The agricultural sciences have grown nal. "For example, if there is any glare in to all phases of soil fertility. enormously in numbers and complexities, your protective lighting system be sure it taking the time and appropriations of blinds the intruder and not the guard," he Also it publishes The Potash Journal, those whose energies are devoted to the states. "Remember that light in the foreestablished in 1037, which has been issued building of a better agriculture for ground of an area reduces distant vision six times a year. It is designed to present America. Any contribution thereto is because of contrast. More light around the economic phases of agricultural subjustified by the enormity and worthithe boundary of a property or at distant jects in their bearing on fertilizer use. ness of this objective. Consumer-service points required if the guard is located in It is sent gratis to a mailing list of 3000 types of activities are sponsored by many a well-lighted area. Keep all backgrounds made up principally of federal and state industries individually or in association, as light as possible, paint fences and buildlibraries, economists, and members of the but in no case can the welfare of the conings in light colors. Safety, of course, is of fertilizer industry. sumer be accepted more completely and first consideration and every precaution Reprints from both magazines are exclusively as the objective of a promoshould be taken to guard the lighting given wide circulation among agricultural tional enterprise than in the case of the equipment and the electrical service from groups. In addition, soil fertility literaAmerican Potash Institute. damage." ture has been issued in many other forms, Giving a few pointers on where protecaggregating some 1,500,000 pieces during tive lighting is needed, Mr. Dickerson the 5-year period. Six motion pictures mentions boundary fences, yards, alleys, in color, illustrating crop response to Phillips Petroleum end Goodrich spaces between buildings and fences, recommended fertilizer applications and to Produce Ameripol entrances to yards, areas around railroads, other subjects, have been prepared and freight yards, and highways, entrances to made available for public use. These FORMATION of a jointly owned company important buildings, areas around impordeal principally with demonstrations mainto produce Ameripol, developed by tant buildings, and areas where approaches tained on state experiment station fields Goodrich, has been announced by David are concealed. Light protection for our and provide a permanent, visual record M. Goodrich, chairman of B. F. Goodrich public services, particularly electric, gas, of these experimental plots. Through Co., and Frank Phillips, chairman of this medium, test plots at their summer Phillips Petroleum Co. The new com- and water, also is of prime importance, he explains. optimum can be viewed in the winter pany, to be called Hydrocarbon Chemical The Illuminating Laboratory, General lecture hall. & Rubber Co., will have an initial caElectric Co., Schenectady, N. Y., has pacity estimated at 2000 tons a year. A library of 85,000 books and pamphlets available as "Protective Lighting—Helpful pertaining to soil fertility is maintained. Phillips Petroleum has a strong patent Hints" some eight diagrams illustrating It currently receives 37 scientific magaposition in the processing of petroleum how various types of protective lighting zines, the contents of which, embracing hydrocarbons and vast reserves of the raw requirements may be met. world contributions to the agricultural materials necessary for rubberlike synscience of potash use, are digested and thetics. made available to the interested public Goodrich took another step in expanthrough various media, such as abstracts sion of rubberlike synthetic output when T. R- Moyer has been appointed director (published in Better Crops with Plant it announced that a Koroseal plant will be of the Cooperative Fertiliser Research Food), translations, journal articles, and built in Niagara Falls, X. Y. The new Bureau, Baltimore, Md., and will conreader reference lists regularly sent to location may mean a reduction in manuduct research in the manufacture and agricultural libraries and research institufacturing costs chemistry of fertilisers.
