Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1871-09-29
Saltpctrc---The Charleston PhOs-
plates

| Hc toiiOWluS aTIIClc ITOlil tUc pen OF AlC4.
S. Macrae, is published in the London,
(Eug,) Daily Recorder, Of the 2,th ultimo
sALrrErnE ;,oR, NITRATE OF POTASH AS AF.
n rEoTEp BY CHARLESTON pnospHATEs
The "signs of the times plainly indicate
that Saltpetrc is fast attaining value, no
longer entirely dependent on the manufac.
turer Of gunpowder, or the curer of provisions.
The fertilizing clcmcnt..of commerce is now
from necessity so completely ignoring all prec.
dent, aud cxhausting SO many old aud new
products of the earth, that the sooner business
men (like scientific mem dive into what may be
called the "School of Fcrtilizers,' the better
not only for themselves, but for the trade also,
and the universally of mankind. The ques
ton of "Fertilzers" may seem an unimpor.
tant matter to the unverscd and to the unre.
hectng, but they nevertheless represent (in
almost unseen operation) an annual production
in Europe alone of some G5 ,0GQ, 900 sterling,
manipulated from the collated gatherings of
every nation .'on the face of the globe
Few ore aware perhaps, that as Fertilizer,
Sntpctre is the most valuable agent, nature
or art, ever put into the hands of man, its
coStlincss alone, dcbarring its general applica.
ton This is a fact Of all existing sources,
it most confirms in happy combination, the
very riches: elements of fertility in its Nitro
gen and Potash, aud, in this respect, stands
not only without compccr in reality, but al
most without ono in Imagination. To Baron
Liebig is ascribed the assertion "that the d,y
| is not far distant when the waistcoat pocket
would contain enough concentrated compost
to fcrtiize q whole acre =" Let us see, if,
| any way. .Saltpctrce bears on this desideratum
An uuginary bound must at once be made,
from the cfllorcsccnt soil of India, to the gi
ganlc alluvial deposit Of phosphate rock iu
South Carolina. There, contiguous to Char
! lesion, and on the banks Of the Bull River,
lies in millions of tons but lltely utilized
strata, commercially designated "CharIeston
phosphates." Loading there at the moment,
arc vessels of thousands Of tons burden,
fraightcd to convey this material not only to
tho various parts of the United States, but
ALSO in still larger quantities, to the shores
of Great Britain Solely, are these burdens
being transmitted for-Fcrtilizcrs ! Though
lowly and cheaply horn and borne, this South.
ern Rock, is comparatively invaluab!y rich
in Phosphate of Lime; the very life Of which
/, Phosphoric Acid, another of natures most
fertile nutraSivcs. In this mighty compost,
unoucstionably now the most prolific in the
universe, superficial manure manufacturers
find practical base for their purposes, as in
finite as unexpected, and which, sixty to sew
cnty shilljngs per ton lays free at their door,
all ready for manipulation. Now, in the
elimination of phosphate of Lime, or, Phos
phoric Acid from this and such like bases,
begins that link which allies them to Nitrate
of Potash and other kindred products uni.
ting them in an indissoluble commercial and
chemical tic, which time can never dissolve,
or, necessity ever disavow.
The very pecuniary poverty of Phosphate
IF Lime bespeuks its abundance, and, natural
ly calls upon the inherent fertile wealth of Nj.
tratc OF Potash Nitrate of soda and other equiv.
alent Ammonia. givng'products for something
moro than an adventitious aid, and, if it cx.
tracts that aid, from those products which
wond otherwise be adaptable for the manu-.
fac,ure Of Saltpetrc, or its requirements, it
literally aud without question, affects tie
value of Saltpetrc itself! Here then is tho
link sustained
Ammonia per SC, in one form or another,
has hitherto been the base which has made
the manufacturer of fertilizers mparativcly
independent of the other moro outside Nitro
gcnous products. This supply is slowly and
surely failing him. Our production now is
$4,000 tons less per annum than it was ten
years ago, and ifany endorsation Of this is re.
quired, it is evinced in the fact (lately men.
tioned) that Sulphatc Of Ammonia has this
year advanced from Gl6 to G21 per ton, with
scarcely any sellers ahead The requirements
the" 70 ".a". this deficiency arc bound to tell
on Saltpetre in one shape or another, ana oe
speaks for it future average value which no
logic or statistics would have caimed for it
in the past Heron is the link then con.
fitmed.
The medical application of Saltpetre also
must not be overlooked, for although the new
production of Iodidc of Potash from it, is but
now to a limited extent, its growth is as Ger
tain, rs its results are rssured.
This "notc" cannot be concluded without
rcfcrcrc &C to tho increasing supplies of Nitrate
of Potash from Bombay For some time past
this supply has been cut of, but is again now
rcviving considerably, and from the appear.
ance Of crystals as we'll as from tho results of
the analysis, there is every encouragement to
believe that the quality will soon approach
tho established excellence of the Saltpetro of
Bengal.
DEATH oFA DISTINGUISHED CHARLESTON
PHYsICIAN.--Tho medical and scientific
world will regret to learn of tho death of the
ominont physiclan and naturalist. DIR. John
Il. lIolbrook. of this city, who died of apo.
plexy, at Norfolk. noar Boston, Mass, on
tho 9th instant. DR.. IIolbrook was born in
Beaufort, s. @, in 1904. At an early age
he went 10 reside with relatives in Massa