The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-02-06
PHOSPHATE MILL IS
ABOUT READY TO RUN
Will Inaugurate Entirely New
Industry in Rocky Noun
tain Region.
BIG DEPOSITS IN UTAH
United States ComPany's Mill
Located, However, at
Border, Wyoming.
BIG DEPOSITS IN UTAH

Ar Border. Wyo.. IN tho valley oi
Bear river and only mile from the Idaho
ine. Is the new phosphate mill OF the
United States Phosphate company The
ull which he's II capacity for grinding
ifty tons OF phosphate rock day, is
pra ctically completed and will be ready
q run in about ten days.
The company has been in the phos-
phate field there for some time and has
large area of phosphate bearing land.
II has been shipping the crude rock, JUST
rs II comes from the mine, to Los An
yeles for three or four years, but found
that in order to put the product on the
market properly mill was necessary.
aud Il was decided TO build the present
comparatively small one, which will La he
care OF the trade for time and blaze
the way, as IL were, for II is the hrst
OF rs kind in the Rocky mountain re-
slon. Eventually II is confidently eN-
pecred, much larger mill VIII be re-
auIred
Al present the demand for the pre-
pared phosphate comes cLletly from AL, all,
fornia. although there Is now small
Utah demand from fruitgrowers and the
more progressive farmers. who are aWak-
ening to It's great value as a fertilizer.
and the business should develop into
very large one.
IN the older orchard and farming coun-
'ry of the eastern and central states
the question Of soil fertilization has be-
come a vital one and soil experts there
agree that the natural phosphate, con-
tanning. as II does in the properties OF
jhjs company. one part or phosphorlc CID
10 three parts Of lime. IS the thing al
most universally needed TO restore i'm
poverlshed soils. On this subject the
agricultural experiment station Of the
University OF Illinois says:
TO increase OF maintain the nitrogen
and organic matter OF the soil Is the
greatest practical problem in Anleri-
can agriculture. In an hours time
one can spread enough limestone or
phosphate on an acre OF land TO pro-
vide for large crops OF wheat, corn.
oats and clover for ten or twenty
years. while TO supply the nitrogen
for the same length OF time would
require from twenty TO forty tons OF
clover. or from eighty to $50 tons or
farm manure, to be added TO the same
acre OF land, even though one OF the
four crops harvested secured ITS
nitrogen from the air,
Attention was called to the TACT
that 1000. 900 pounds OF the average
crust Of the earth contains $4,000
pounds OF potassium. but compared
with this we find only 1000 pounds Of
phosphorus. Likewise, the plowed soil
OF AN acre of average Illinois land
contains about 81. 900 pounds OF potas-
sium but less than 1900 pounds OF
phosphorus. When grain is sold from
The farm, about equal amounts OF
phosphorus and potassium are carried
away. while in Independent systems
of livestock farming much more phos-
phorus than pota ssium leaves the
farm.
II viii he noted that the natural phos
plIaie is composed OF the two elements
upon which stress Is plsced-phosphorus
and lime. The rock is mined by tunnel
ing and is prepared for the market by
this mill ny being ground so extremely
fine That 40 per cent OF II will go through
a 100 mesh screen and so per cent Of IT
through 200 mesh screen. The prepared
phosphate VIII be sold at IS a ton In
BAGS.
The deposit on which the company Is
working is an enormous one. The vein
IS ninety feet thick and It's outcrop can
he traced across the country for seven
teen miles There are other known de-
posis. mostly in the Bear Lake valley
IN ttah. Idaho and Wyoming. The lar
zeSt and most easily worked deposits
are said to be In Rich county. Utah,
but as the distance 10 the railroad is
greater than in Wyoming and Idaho the
f,reater development Is being done in the
other two sta ties. These deposits are so
vast that engineers are reluctant to make
an estimate Of the quantity they con-
iap