Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-03-24
STOP EXPORT OF PHoSPHATEs.
Half That's Mined in This Country is
Sold in Europe.

Good farm land chiefly needs four
thinEs-nitruGen potash, phosphorus
and water In arid regions water
limits production: in humid regions. If
the farming has been at all sitilfui, L
is usually the amount Of phosphorus III
the soil which determines productivity
In Illinois. for instance, there is al
most always plenty of potash in the
land. and the air is full of nitrogen
Whica can be fixed in the soil by Glow
ers But the phosphorus is deficient
already in one third of the acreage OF
the State.
old soils from Virginia level land.
reported now too poor for cultivation.
were found by chemical analysis to
contain only $40 pounds of total phos-
phorus in 2000.000 pounds of surface
sell whereas the best black soils of II
linois contain six times this amount.
Western New York and Ohio, which
not more than 80 to 60 years ago were
regarded as the most fertile of the
continent. are now largely run down
because of serious depletion in this ele-
ment
Prof Hopkins of the Illinois agrl-
cultural college attributes the worm
phos,hates IAN invoice of depleted
lands from India" he reports. shows
phosphorus varying from a race 10
SEQ pounds in the ploWed soil OF an
acre"
The needed phosphorus cannot be
made mp on any general scale from
farm manure or from the commerclai
fertilizers made from the bones oil
farm animals for that is only putting
back upon the soil as manure what
has been taken from it as gram, ana
not putting it all back either, for be-
tween crop and manure there is %
per cent. waste.
The United States has the most eX-
tensive and highest grade phosphate
deposfts on earth. From three south
err States-South Carolina, Tennes-
see. Florida--over half the phosphate
now being mined in the world is de
rived These fields belong TO private
corporations. over a million ana
quarter tons Of phosphate rock, or
about 80 per cent of all that is produc-
ed here, is exported to Europe eaeh
year That is. these American phos-
plate companies are exporting to Eur
ope the raw fertility of the United
States. We should send them our fer
tility manufactured into grains and
cattle, not raw.
Were these phosphate mines mex
haUstible the method of expectation
would make no difference but one OF
profit. But at the present rate of con-
sumption, within % years our phos-
Dhate beds will be producing only a
low grade of rock of Il sort that we
now contemptuously waste, and the
price for 1t will be triple that of the
present high grade article.
There are also phosphate fields in
Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, most of which,
fortunately, We're located -on pubic
lard. All public land discovered 10
contain phosphate beds was Withdrawn
from entry by President Roosevelt. and
may now be rented only, III lots of $40
acres. for 81 royalty Il ton, with the
express provision that no phosphate
rock taken from public land may he
exported.
Germany, which has phosphate fields
OF its own, imports large quantities OF
phosphate from us each year. AT the
same time Germany absolutely pre-
vents the expectation OF any of its
own phosphate from the empire.
The private companies owning the
Phosphate beds in the southern States
should be prevented from exporting
their commodity so essential to the
farms OF the United States If this is
found to work a hardship on them,
they should be paid the full value OF
their property and it should be con-
demned for public purposes.-Chicago
Tribune.