Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1868-06-11
agricultural department,
From the Macon Telegraph.
THE ASHLEY PHosPHATEs.

Since the time when (more than yea,
ago) the discovery of these extraordinary
deposits was announced to the public, We
have felt strong curiosity to hear more
about them. If what was reported be true,
then, agigantic mine of wealth has been
opened to the Carolinians in the very hour
Of their necessity and then, too, a fertili.
zer of extraordinary value is suddenly dis,
closed to the planters of the South, which,
at reasonable cost, may increase the pro.
ductive capacity of our lands to a point that
will partially counterbalance the increased
cost and difficulty attending the process Of
cultivation. Both these considerations are
too important to fail of awakening pro.
found interest among intelligent readers.
Our friend and neighbor, Mr.. S. I. Gus
tin, having within few hours returned
from personal observation of these de.
posits, the facts below are cleaned from a
conversation with him.
The deposits in question are in the tide
water bottoms of the Ashley, Cooper and
Stono Rivers, and we should not be sur
prised if they underlie large portion of
the coast and sea island regions of South
Carolina. 1t is known certainly that they
abound in several square miles of territory,
and new evidence of their existence and ex-
tent are daily developed.
In the regions explored, they frequently
crop out of the surface and are commonly
found in strata from one to two or more
feet in thickness, dipping from the surface
to eight or more feet below it-generally
the deposit is from one to two feet. Below
this deposit is solid bed of mari.
Now what are these phosphate deposits ?
They are simply collection and conglom-
crate of bones in various conditions-some
perfect in shape as when they fulfilled their
original functions in the living animal, and
others solidifed in stony masses, softer,
however, than gypsum, and still retaining
in the mass Qike what is called pudding
stone) more or less the forms and outlines
of the innumerable bone contributions of
which they are composed.
These bones are of all sorts-known and
unknown-land and marine. They not only
disclose all the osseous formations of the
sea monsters of the present day, but those
also of the saurians, and all the other mon
sters of an antediluvian or preadamitic age,
which modern science and research have
brought to lig hit. And, curiously enough,
human bones have been found in the vast
deposit, as we'll as implements of stone and
pottery similar to those in use among the
so-called oboriginese. We have examined
some interesting specimens of the animal
bones alluded to.
Having spoken of the extent and charac-
ter of these great deposits, we come now to
their value as fertilizer, and here, fortu-
nately, we can speak from an actual analy-
sis by the State Geologist of Massachusetts,
q very scientific man. He found, in one
hundred parts of this bone-phosphate, re-
duced to powder:
Moisture and organic matter er.............8O
Bone phosphate of lime. so
Sulphate of lime. e..............................65
Sand, &c., insoluble in acids. 1850
10000
Thus it will be seen that in one hundred
parts, according to this analysis, all but
1910 are the best fertilizing substance
known for the permanent improvement of
land, and the whole has a smaller proper
tion of useless matter than any fertilizer
yet produced. The proportion of phos-
phate in fresh bones is but little over fifty
per cent, while this is set down at 81.60.
A sample of the bone -four from which this
analysis was made, was shown to the writer.
1t is of salmon color, as fine as wheat
-four, and We wish all our planters had 500
tons of it apiece.
Here, then, is an almost unlimited guam
tity of this pure one.phosphate-im
deposits of it within stones throw of navi-
gation-to be excavated with far greater
ease than any mineral coal in the country
so softened by time as to be reduced to
-four with half the trouble and expense of
fresh bones-a great deal better, as shown
by analysis-surrounded by cheap fuel,
with unlimited resources of the same on the
water courses-were there ever such extra
ordinary conditions for the production of
an invaluable fertilizer at low price
Was there ever discovery made fraught
with greater promise? 1t will build up
Charleston, and it will prove of almost in
calculable benefit to the whole South-par-
ticularly to the Atlantic States. In i'm
proving the results of our agriculture, it
will impart new elasticity and vigor to
every interest and occupation-so that all
will be the richer for this grand and ex-
ceedingly curious discovery.
THE BUD WORM.
Our friend, DR.. Buie, has been investiga-
t;nn tho natural histnru nnd habits nf this