The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-05-08
PHospHATEs OF THE WORLD.


Interesting Lecture by Prof. Charles u.
shepard, Jr.-The Spanish Phcspliafes
the Mo,t Formidable Competitor that
the Carolina Product has to Encounter.
The lecture of Professor Charles. U.
Shepard, Jr., on the phosphates of com
merce, before the Y. NJ. g. Association
last evening, filled the lecture room of
the Medical College to its utmost capac-
iiy, hundreds being unable to gain ad-
spoke with great clearness and was lis
tened 70 with earnest attention. He
said:
AT a time when the production Of the
various Carolina mines has reached two
hundred thousand tons per annum, caus-
ing the disbursement of over one million
dollars in this neighborhood, and thereby
bringing comfortable support to many
thousand individuals, besides returning
large income TO the State; when many
men are considering the question whether
they, too, will embark in the mining in
dustry, and thus yet swell the yearly
product, it is obviously wise course to
consider what are the sources, other than
our own, to which the civilized world
looks TOR its phosphate supply, and how
formidable they are or may become as
competitors in its markets.
In estimating the value Of any pbos-
phate, we may inquire, as our basis of
comparison, with how large a content of
soluble phosphoric acid can a merchanta-
Bile superphosphate be prepared from it Z?
For the sake of convenience we will con.
slider the various commercial phosphates
in the following order:
Guano, Altered Guano, Fossil Bones
Coprolites-Phosphatic materials whose
near origin is clearly animal.
phosphorite, Apatite Phosphate Me-
tcrials whose near origin is mineral.
GUANO.
1t is we'll for us to include guano in
the above list, not only because of its
very considerable phosphate content
(say twenty to thirty per cent. of phos-
phates,) but also because of the serious
competition which it must exert in the
agricultural world so long as its supply
holds out. With regard to the quantity
OF, guano still remaining at the dispo.
sal Of the Peruvian Government land al.
most all real guano is, or rather was,
Peruvian the statements are most con.
tradictory. On the ether,hand, we have
the assertion Of thai lgoNernment that
they possess some forty TO fegty-fiye To-
calities, containing more or aeSa extensive
deposits of merchanteble gunno. D, On the
other hand, the British consul at Callao
reported, in 1873, taat nez6fdfdInht pos
sess three million tons of exportable
guano. This would last at the preaer:
rate Of shipment only year or so longer.
The complete exhaustion Of the Chiucha
guano-the best of the Peruvien-and
the probable early consumption Of the
Gnanapc--judging from the fact that
cargoes of inferior guanos are being ex-
ported from yet other Peruvian localities
lead the public which has invested i'm
Peruvian bonds, secured on the guano
returns of the government, and those
who depend on this article. for agricultural
purposes, to infer that the enormous ex-
cavation of these beds has almost exhaus.
ted what at first sight appeared to he a
boundless supply. Such Mt least is the
rnvian bonds, and the manufacturers
of commercial manure at home aud
abroad. Even the most hopeful look for
ward to the complete exhaustion of the
Peruvian, and all similar beds, before
the end Of this century. At the present
time, it is doubtful if the annual impor-
tatiUns of nitrogenous guano into Europe
and the United StG;es exceeds one hun
dred TO one hundred and fifty thousand
tons---a mere bagtele when we remem-
her that it has almost reached six hun
dred thousand tons for one year. The
decline in quantity and quality Of unal-
tered Especially Peruvian) guano,
steadily augments the demand for those
manufactured manures which are de.
signed to supply its place.
ROCK-GUANOS
Under ROCK k-guanos we understand
those rock formations consisting essenti-
ally of phosphate of lime Tor in few in
stances of phosphates OF magnesia and
alumira aud the oxide of irOns) which
are derived from original deposits of
guanos, and owe their present form to
various physical and chemical causes.
Since the application of Liebig's method
("f rendering bones soluble by the addi-
tion of sulphuric acid) to m::eral phos-
pilates. the rock-guanos have been sought
alter on acc0uit'Of their generally high
percentage or phosphoric 'ucid and the
excellence of the super. pkosphates manu-
fnc;uved from them. In consequence of
this demand the west India Islands and
other localities where such deposits are
likely to b. found have been carefully
and repeatedly searched. New beds OF
phosphate gGanos have been discovered
from time to time, but owing 70 the
small quantities OF available material
that they usually contained, they have
generally been soon exhausted, and thus
have ceased to Influence the market. Al
this day we seldom hear of any fresh and
important discovery in the West Indies
aud while it is not impossible that virgin
deposits may YET be found and worked
such nevertheless becomes yearly more
improbable, as prospecting parties have
hunted through all the many islands
reefs and coasts Of these unique estionahlS
ancient guano regions. Who's island
have been, as it were, transported il
ships across the seas, and the amount o
phosphate guanos annually thrown OF
the European market was enormous 81
long as the deposits held out. With tth,
execution of the New Cnracna there ie q
present no large phosphate deposits il
the West Indies tchose qydity ,oiU l,crnsi
Of IFS shipment across fheocea1. 3-,aT
fn coPRoLITEs.
The total annual yield Of the variou
English coprolitic deposits is abuli
twenty five thousand tons. According t,
Prof. Albert Hunts mineral statistics
thirty-fve thousand tons of all grade
were raised in 1872; their value beinJ
Gny .l:ausan:! ;:a:.nds, 3r about r.sveI
dollars per ton. While the difficulty o
excavating these deposits has been in
creased by the previous exhaustion O
The more accessible beds aud the highe
cast of labor, foreign phosphates. hav,
ha.1 fs.f -. :