Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1896-09-23
Tascarora Valley Phosphate

'.sAeocAv PAosPhotS AA AQoCdtofd V1l-
ley, Juniata county is extending it.
self. Important as the industry now
is, it has scarcely more than begun.
Already people outside of Juniata
county are turning their attention to
this new industry that is looming up
in one of the vallies of Juriata coun-
ty. By and by it will be an indus
try that will run annually into hum
dreds of thousands of dollars. OF
this new important industry, the
Will;amsport Gazette and Bulletin of
September s, says:-
The resources of our great State
are inexhaus:ible and it only requires
educated hands and eyes to utilize
them. A few years ago Colonel
Thomas Moore he..,;, a civil engineer,
made some surveys in locating a mar
row guage railroad in Tuscarora VAL
ley, Juniata county, Pa, from Port
Royal, or the main line of the Penn
syIvapia railroad After building
this road be discovered stratas of
phosphate rock in unlimited quanti-
tity. He had been engaged in Flori
da previous to this and made a for
tune In this same phosphate rock
strata, that was only supposed to
crop out in Florida, South Carolina
and Canada His geological knowI-
edge enabled him to grasp the value
of bis discovery and he leased lands
and is now building spur from his
main line to these large, rich phos-
phate deposits at McCoysvills and
Reeds Gap, and this valuable rock
deposit then can be used by our
farmers to renovate their exhausted
wheat lands. For century cur
lands have been drained of their nat
ural phosphates and lime does no
longer unlock the latent PHOSPHORUS
in these lands and artificial fertilizers
have had to be purchased. The low
price of cereals will not warrant the
purchase of high grade phosphates
and the discovery of this unlimited
supply of phospate rock in our very
midst will be boon to all farmers.
The Tuscarora phosphate mills on
the Ross farm is supplying the local
trade.
John G. Crawford of Reeds Gap,
states under date of July, 1896: elf
you want to sec the effect of ground
rock, come and sea my corn. 1 used
it alongside of s22 goods. The
ground rock took the lead from the
start and has kept it. Where 1 used
the rock it is far ahead, both in
growth and in caring, and I EXPECT
to see greater results in caring.
Hereafter I will use nothing but
ground rock -
". A. Milliken says he tested it
on wheat, and in the future will only
US. ground rock.
James Hutchinson of Reeds Gap
says, July 16: Il used your ground
rock on part Of my corn. It will pay
for itself In the fodder, but the way
it is caring, know it will thirdly pay
for itself, besides the good it will do
the land L want your ground rock
for all OF my foil crops.
These are representative farmers
and these statements are valuable.
The want Of the community is nos
high grade fertilizers, but simply a.
rock that will restore phosphorus
to the growing crop, at a price that
the flrmer can afford to pay for.
Should more extensive trials demon.
strate its worth, it will be valuable
addition to our home farmers. The
base of ali fertilizers is simply phos-
phorus. The ground rock is doctor
ed up with potash and nitrogen-for
which ample pay is secured. The
farmer in the future will only pur-
chase the rock and substitute the
potash from his wood ashes, aud nit
rogen from his farm waste, instead
of hard earned dollars for what has
often proved of no value.
Pennsylvania pays annually from
five to six million dollars fer fertiliz-
ers-and this is paid for foreign ma
ter,al-with this same rock cropping
out on the Pennsylvania railroad, it is
accessible at minimum cost to any
impoverished farmer, who will ap-
preciate any means by which he can
restore at small cost the foreign
fertility to his soil. The value of
this phosphate rock discovery can
not be appreciated in money, but
will run into millions by its cheap
ness.
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