The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-03-24
PHOSPHATE ROCK

F. B. Van Horn, in IN advance
chapter of the United States Geo
graphical Surveys Mineral Re
sources Of the United States" in 1909,
says:
The total production Of phosphate
rock in the United States in 1909 fell
slightly below that for 1908. The out
put in 1909 was 1880, 152 long tons, val
|ued at s10,772,120, as compared with
2,3S6,138 Ion tons, valued at $11,399.-
|124, in 1908, a decrease in quantity OF
1896 tons, or 1.65 per cent, and in
value of s627.004. This falling off was
probably due in part to an overproduc-
ton of Florida hard rock in 1908, as
well as to a long rainy season. The
drop in price had its effect on the
Tennessee rock, and many plants were
shut down in that state. The average
price per ton in 1909 was $4.62, as
compared with $4.78 in 1908.
AS usual, the production from Flor
ida showed an increase in 1909 over
1908, the total production being LTD
7O2 long tons, or $1,000 tons more than
in 1908, an increase of 81 per cent.
The output of hard rock decreased
|S2,15S tons; that of land pebble in
creased 1S0,91S tons, and that of river
pebble fell away to nothing. The
total value, $8,541,3 01. showed an in
crease of $56,762. The price of hard
rock in 1909 was 1874, as compared
with $3.50 in 1908, and that of land
pebble was $3.50 in 1909, as compared
with $3.5S in 1908. The average price
was $4.79 in 1909, as compared with
$5.01 in 1908, a loss of 4.4per cent.
In 1909 Florida furnished 1853 per cent.
of the entire production of the United
States.
"The production in 1909 showed
a decrease from South Carolina in
1909 of 1854 long tons, or TT per cent.
The production in 1907 was 207,954
tons, valued at $910.5S6; in 1908 it was
225,495 tons, valued at $9S9,SS1. The
land rock production increased from
1929 long tons in 1908 to, 201, 254
tons in 1909, a gain of 1891 tons, but
the output of river rock fell off from
81, 232 tons in 1908 to 600 tons in
1909, a loss of 26,532 tons. The price
per ton of land rock was SAL in 1909,
as compared with $4.45 in 1908; that
that of river rock was 1928 in 1909, as
with $4.06 in 1908. The
average price per ton of all South
Carolina rock was $4.37 in 1909,
against $4S9 in 1908. South Carolina
produced SO per cent. of the phosph-
ate rock mined in the United States
in 1909
''The year 1909 showed very great
reduction in the production of phos-
phaate rock in Tennessee from that of
1908. The total output was $685. 03|
long tons, valued at $1,2S6,193 This
was loss of 122, 42S tons, or 26.8 per
cent. in quantity and of 1891 ,02S, or
31.5 per cent, in value from 1908, when
the production was 455,431 long tons,
valued at $1.S77.221 The value of
brown rock in 1909 as compared with
1908 decreased froms4.20 to 1919; the,
value of blue rock increased from S3.76
to $4.12, and there was no production
of white rock reported The average
price per ton of all rock decreased
from $4.12 in 1908 to $3.68 in 1909,
loss of 60 per cent Tennessee furn-
ished 14.3 per cent of the entire pro-
duction in the United States in 1909.
Arkansas, Idaho, Utah, and Wyom-
ing were the only other states to pro-
duuce phosphate rock in 1909. The
total production from these states
was 9,493 tons in 1909, as compared
with 1911 tons in 1908, a loss of 3,6fSI
tons. The production from these
states was about one-haIf of i per cent.
of the total production in the United
States for the year. ~ Manufactures