Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-01-11
WHITE ! ARSENIC SHORTAGE
CFrom Wall Street JOurnan

(From Wall Street JOurnal)
Cotton production hereafter will depend
considerably upon the smelling of copper and
lead ores. The boil weevil, officially credited
with destroying one-third the cotton crop of
1921, or approximately 100000 bales
worth 100000, 900, can he controlled only
by the use of calcium arsenate. The base of
this insecticide is arsenic, a by-product of the
smelters. There is not enough available
arsenic to supply the need this coming sea-
son and the expanding demand in cotton pro-
ductiOn should call for even more than capac-
ity production SHELTERS are struggling to
increase the output, but for the season of
1928 production will be far below agricultu-
raj operations where it is used for live stock
dips orchard and trucking sprays These uses
take about 5000 tons year of white re-
fined arsenic.
Calcium arsenate, now used for weevil con-
troll is 40 per cent refined arsenic. About
$1,000 900 pounds, or 5000 tons of the mix
ture, were used last year, which called for
5000 tons of white arsenic. Although this
was sufficient for less than 2 per cent of the
cotton acreage it was all that was available
and accumulated stocks were TSed up before
the summer was over.
Use of calcium arsenate for weevil control
is not yet general, but it is probable that
double the acreage Of last year will be treat
ed with it this year. This would call for 16 =
600 tons of the mixture containing 6,400
tons of white arsenic This with the other
call for $4,000 tons as a minimum.
1t is doubtful if this minimum can be SUP
piled this season, yet every one of these in
dustries is so important that one can be
starved for the sake of the others. PrOduc-
tiOn of refined white arsenic in 1921 totaled
1851 tons, American Smelling & Refining
Co, Anaconda Copper Mining Co., and
United States Smelling, Refining and Mining
Co., being the principal producers. Depart
ment of Commerce has heretofore classed ar
COY oojd ond iTonn nm
der the one term ''arsenc" AS these are diff
ferent chemicals it is not certain how much
white arsenic was imported last year, but
private estimates around 1000 tons.
Whatever the supply may have been, it was
all used up, and on October 1 Of 1922 there
were 1890 tons of domestic white arsenic
in warehouses. Smelling companies can pro-
duce about 3,400 tons more by May /, 1928.
How much is in hands of insecticide manu-
facturers is not known, but allowing for the
maximum possible for them to obtain, and a
maximum production of smelters, there will
not be enough arsenic for agricultural pur-
poses in 1928 without unusually heavy i'm
portations. Unless Japan ana other lead and
copper smelling countries have large sur
pluses on hand, which is doubtful, their ca
pacity will not be equal to the demand.
Smelling companies have always handled
arsenic at a loss and it was such nuisance
that they paid premiums for nOn-arsenious
ores. Now at a price around or 10 cents a
pound they are increasing capacity, but it will
be a year before production can be material
ly increased. One of the companies is even
making extensive plans for operation in Mex
leo. If the price warrants treating low bear
ling ores large output can be assured, but
the present price OF cotton does not Justify
production of arsenic at a cost exceeding o
cents a pound, and then only fo4 use on the
most productive lands. Even if the price of
cotton warranted the use of calcium ARISEN
ate on all lands it could not be done because
to treat the average acreage would require
over 200 900 tons of white arsenic a year.
The present outlook is that with cotton at
around 20 cents all the arsenic that the
smelters can produce at 1 cents will be used
and even then a very large percentage of the
acreage cannot be treated on account of eX-
Ipcnse and lack of material