The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-01-21
nON BOARD THE GOOD SHIP EARTH"
Shall Mankind DIE of Bone Dtseases
BY HERBERT QUICK.

deckroom devoted TO its culture 1926 pounds OF phos-
phorie OXIDE barley, 10 pounds oats, IL; corn 10
and other crops accordingly So even our rich lahds
possess only enough in the upper eight inches 10 ma
ture from 100 to ESQ crops. There Is phosphorus
deeper than that, and there are richer 5oils But
where fields like those of Japan. China, Korea and
Manchuria have been farmed for 40 centuries we nnd
the farmers now obliged TO put back every year as
much OF this element they have taken away or
more. A single years failure to do this on their
part, and these nations would begin to starye.
Yet we, the civilized the progressive nation,
waste our precious store like drunken sailors The
limiting element In our rich Mississippi valley
soils Is already phosphorus. years OF our awful
robbery OF the storerooms OF the takes out
third of the phosphorus-a short SO years. After
credting the OF Wisconsin with the return OF
everything the farmers put back the net loss per
year in phosphorus to that state is 100000 pounds
worth at cents pound $4,000. our great pa
of trade" OF which We so much boast. and with
so little reason would look much smaller IL we de-
Quoted from it the phosphorus sent away-the actnai
land-in the grains and meats and fruits
Phosphorus does exist in the air, and being an
element II cannot be artifcially produced We must
find II IL get II. We find II In fossil guano anu
in the phosphate rocks. There are In South Caro-
lima 5000 900 tons OF good phosphate rock whlcn
will pay TO grind; In Florida 100000 tons; In
Tennessee 10000 000 tons. We are mining this and
exporting ii restore the depleted soils OF Europe
for profit IL been estimated that all THIS store
will gone by 1932-probably 1t will vanish before
We grind poorer rock, but there Is limit 10 the
lowness OF grade which Will return as mucn looo do
SHAH expend in grinding It,
Perhaps there is a region where God has placed
His store of phosphorus. He did In Chile In the
case of nitrogen and in Germany for potash! There
are many rocks still unexplored, and there may DC
much more phosphate than we know or, out ASIDE
from so OF high grade in three south Sea
Islands we know OF great deposits save what
Uncle Sam possesses In Idaho, Wyoming and Utah
the deposits the fought for to Keep
them out OF private hands
Uncle Sam is the Colonel North and the Kaiser
wilhelm of phosphorus-with 5000OOOOO tons OF
good rock In his bunkers
But no matter how rich the rocks may be, WITHIN
any reasonable probability the supply VIII give Out
unless 1t is rigdly conservedand the race VIII oe'
Once there were millions OF tons OF nitrogen fer-
izer mixed with phosphorus-called guano-ln the
droppings OF sea birds Pacific islands The sea
birds catch fsh-which have much nitrogen ana
phosphorus in their bodies These fish pass through
digestive organs of the birds, the undgesteo parts
being dropped on the islands where the nests are
made The old Peruvians protected the sea plros
from destruction; for they knew that these winged
benefactors retrieving from the ocean the ios'
fertility OF the globe
men on earth may be grouped about the spots whose
nbosnhorus has not been lost from the soil-spots
ike the phosphate soils of the Bluegrass region OF
Kentucky and portions OF France. and some otner
and in regions kept populated py the Ter
tility retrieved from the sea by billions OF sea-pros
bred for that purpose.
R,lt before that time comes as unless we change
our ways IL will the world will remble with the tread
of armed leaving lands depicted OF ther pnos
phorus, and hunting new lands
Gee tomorrow's Times for announcement OF the next
article in the great series.