The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-05-03
GREAT DEMAND
 FOR FERTILIZER
By HOLLAND.

|
 25,o0o tons of this fertilizing commodity.
 i being willing to pay the advanced price. l It is orders of this kind which suggest | that Denmark and Great Britain are | preparing to carry on agriculture on as large a scale possible. The formers | of Denmark are masters of the art ot | intensive cultivation. They know that i If the best results are to be secured | the soil must be enriched, otherwise | it will become exhausted The United States now furnishes the greatest market
 in the world for those who seek the fer | tilizers thnt are vital if high agricul- l tural production is to be secured It
 l is the corporation with which MT. Flem- l ing is identifed-as are also several who | are distinguished for their industrial and financial leadership including Thomas w Lamont and Albert H. Wiggin-whlch f has attained pre-eminence as a producer and manufacturer of commodities so essential to successful agriculture.
 The report recently made to the stock holders of this corporation whose name is the International Agricultural Corpora ton by MT. Fleming contains although it is a very brief report some highly interesting and important information and suggestions. In the report reference is made to the investment before the l wnr by the corporation in German pot ash mine and the wonder is whether this investment must be charged off, al- though the mine itself is rich in potash or whether by some arrangement with the government it can be offset through | favorable action by the alien property custodian.
 1 The farmers of the United States will 1 this year and hereafter be able to secure | all of the fertilizing material which they need, notwithstanding the alleged scar l city of potash or the high price it com hmands. President Fleming's corporation | has invested very large amount of 1 money in purchasing and then mining phosphate rock. The cost of removing the overburden preparatory to mining rock on the company's properties has | increased and the shortage of labor, which it is hoped may speedily be over come has justified the corporation in preparing a greater acreage than usual A RICH COMMODITY
 Phosphate rock is now to be included Tn the list of the great natural resources of the United States. Yet few years ago it was a resource which was almost unexploited and it's value to American agriculture was not fully recognized But within the past 10 years large capital has been secured for investment in the eX- ploitation of the very rich phosphate rock fields, especially in Tennessee and l in Florida, as well ns a considerable amount from like resources in Tennessee. FORECAST FOR THE FUTURE The corporation is now the larges: miner of the phosphate rock in America and it is evident from President Elem ing's statement to the stockholders that he forecasts large increase in it's pro- duction and in the marketing of the product,
 But if this corporation, which is the largest as far as production is concerned, of it's kind in the United States, looks forward to greater production and larger markets, it is a reasonable inference tnaf it is now preparing for that day of gri- cultural and industrial activity which many believe is near at hand and which will if realized far surpass any prosperity of the United States or any other natlol in the world has in the past enjoyed. OTHER NATIONS IN MARKET There are good reasons for surmising that other nations than Great Britain and Denmark will soon approach the Amerl- can market for the purpose of securing adequate supplies of this fertilizing com- modity so that their agricultural inter- ests may be quckened and redeveloped to the highest possible point. Apparently Europe is quite as much concerned apout the restoration of her agriculture, and the harvesting of adequate crops as the na- tions of Europe are about rebuilding oe- vastated industries and perfectlng trans portntion facilities. In fact had it nos been for the inability of this corporation to secure vessels, the export of Amerl- can phosphates would have been much larger in the year 1918 than was the case. Presumably however in a short time the supply of vessels needed to transport the phosphate fertilizers to other parts of the world will be secured.
 This corporation is not the only one which has been embarrassed ana sup iected to- some loss, indirect loss hl- though it be, on account of the inability to secure ships. The petroleum oil com panies of the United States would nave been able to export a much larger amount of oil and it's refined products sucn as gasoline and lubricants, than they dio export, if they could have secured the ships in sufficient amount to meet the foreign demand for oil.
 As if is with Presidents F1eming's cor |, poration so also it is with the oil 1n- dustrv of the United Suites. The leaders ;,, this industry are confident that imme- diatelv there will come very large oe- mand for American oil. Already one or the Standard Oil companies has invest cd some s75,oOO.O00 in establishing faciii- ties in the Far East for the marketins of oil. The officers of that corporation believe that there is to he n large in- crease in the export of American oil Here then are two strong industries in the United States. both now occupiec in exploiting natural resources. one ot
 which has only recently been recosnizeo and utilized and the other highty deVei-
 oped in the past 9 years The oil ex-
 ports will facilitate industry of all kinds
 in the far east: the phosphate fertiii1ng
 industry will make possible a sreat in-
 crease in agricultural production both
 in the United States and also Tn other
 land.
 Equal representation TOT worhinsneh