Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1916-01-11
FARMERS FACE
A FERTILIZER FAMINE
High War Bids for SulphlriC
Acid Has Shut Off Acid
Phosphate
BY HERBERT QUICK.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 9.-"Amerlcan
farmers are confronted by a serious
situation in reference to fertilizer ma
terials."
This is the first sentence in bulle-
tin just issued by the United States de-
partment of agriculture. 1t is the OIL
cial way of saying that the United
States is in the midst of fertilizer
famine.
Fertilizers are so high in price that
the farmers cannot buy them. In other
words it would cost more to buy the
fertilizers than the increased crop yield
would be worth. This is not universal
ly true, but it is true to a serious, pos
sibly a disastrous extent.
The most important element in fer
tility is phosphorus. On most soils
that is the element which must be sup
piled rather than anything else. Most
farmers prefer to apply phosphorus in
the form of superphosphate, or as it is
popular termed acid phosphate.
We have plenty of phosphate rock
in the United States but it requires
treatment with sulphuric before it be-
comes superphosphate.
Sulphuric acid is used in the making
of explosives. AS soon as the wal
broke out the warning governments be-
gan to bid against the fertilizer manu-
facturers for all the sulphuric produc-
ed, and the price has gone up from IS
to SIS a ton. at is impossible, there
FORE" says the department of agricul-
ture, for the farmers to secure super
phosphates at the prices they have
been accustomed to pay"
Manufacturers of sulphuric acid are
trying to start abandoned factories al
work, and to build new ones. But new
factories require great quantities OF
lead-and the war has made lead scarce
and high.
The most of the sulphuric acid IS
made from iron pyrites-and under the
new conditions 1t is hard to find enough
of this mineral.
But if you will visit any smelter in
which lead, zinc, or copper sulphide ore
is smelted you will see the vegetation
killed by the fumes discharged from
their chimneys.
In these poisonous fumes, which no
body should be allowed to discharge
into the atmosphere anyhow, there are
wasted thousands of tons of sulphuriC
acid every day.
If we were really civilized, we should
insist that this great national wealth
/ be saved. We should insist that the
railways carry ii to the east, where
most of it is used, at rates which would
put it on the farms at prices compati
BILE with a lower cost of raising crops
Wherever coal, phosphate rock, ant
cheap water power are available, a sub
stitute for sulphuric acid can be pro
/ duced This substitute is something
better-phosphoric acid.
The department of agriculture is en-
! deavoring to develop a commercial
method of doing this work. The frs
/ thing is to find the phosphoric rock, the
coal, and the water power close togeth
er. One would think that in the grea
/ government-owned phosphate fields o.
| the northwest this would not be diff
cult When this is done, what will the
] government, do? 1t will merely say tC
| private capital, Here's a chance t.
! make money. Go to it."
Would not a really civilized govern
| ment say, Here's a chance :. to make
! food for the people, better farms, high
er civilization. Let us go to it!'
| l think it would. And L think tn
| people and especially the farmers o.
| the country would stand back of tn
/ government which would say just that