San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-04-11
PREDICT NEW
INDUSTRY
FOR S.A.
Discovery Of Big Deposit
Of Natural Fertilizer
Opens Field.

San Antonio may develop a new in
dustry.
Farmers Of the South may turn t.
this locality for huge supplies of fer
tilizer, not manufactured, but dug out
Of the earth itself.
With the discovery. near this city
IF huge deposits Of grccnsand, or gIau-
conitc, it is believed by J. w. Van
Meter, scientist and inventor, that
the San Antonio district in time may
become an exporting center for nat
ural fertilizer, rivalling New Jersey.
which for Il century has been the
worlds chief source of grcensand.
DEPOSITS ARE ANCIENT.
1t was ten million years ago. ac-
eordng TO Mr.. Van Meter. that Ma
ture prepared the fertilizer beds which
have just been found between San
Antonio and Kelly Field.
Grecnsand is more properly desls-
mated as slauconitc, mari, or potash
mari.
The largest and purest deposit,
known are in New Jersey. Low grade
groupings Of grccnsand have been
known to exist in the vicinity Of San
Antonio along Leon Creek for sew
eral miles between CastroyilIe and
the Quintana road.
Considerable money has been OK
pended in driving tunnels into the hill.
sides along Leon Greek near Kelly
Field and some of them have been
worked successfully.
FOUND NEAR SURFACE.
Lately, however, a large body Of
high grade greensand has been found
near the surface on the right of way
OF the I-G. n. near the Leon bridge.
This deposit, according to Mr.. Van
Meter, is practically inexhaustibIc. be-
ing higher in phosphoric acid content
and iron than the New Jersey sand.
Also, be points out. its proximity t.
the rilaroad would permit the product
to he supplied ranchers and farmers
at small cost.
From the standpoint Of the fcrtil-
izer manufacturer the potash is not
considered available because Of its
slight insolubilty in water. Recent
experiments conducted by the bureau
Of plant industry, United States De
partment Of Agriculture, show thai
plants in their early growing stages
will assimilate potash from grecnsCnd
as effectively as from the usual solu-
bic commercial potassium salts" said
Mr.. Van Meter.
The following statement appears :
1t will be further noted that even
where small doses Of Mari are USED |
The yield exceeds the results obtained |
with potassium salts in their NEST |
favOrablesconcentration.r
NO SOLUTION NEEDED.
"Huth in his various experiments
with greensand found that the es,
sential elements in grecnsand after
being proccssed become available 10
plant life by both contact and absorb
ton. The vegetable field and flower
ing plants become more staple and
seeds will Sprout earlier when in CON
tact with same. These experiments
are being continued and also upon
slow growing plants of the evergreen
variety, such as Cape Jasmine. cedars.
etc. In this case the iron in the
srecnsand is the important element.
The wonderful property of greensand
IF sOftening water provides the plant
with the best liquid food conveyor."
when soluble potash salts such us
'xist in fertilizers are strewn on the
field they dissolve in the rain which
'alls on them and we should suppose
hat they would be washed out of the
ground very readily. such however is
not the case, it is found that instead
hat substances in the soil combine
With the potash and hold on TO it 50
hat it is not washed away.
SOFTENS WATER.
"GrcgnSand is insoluble. II will Civ,
up nothing to soft water. but when
, hard water comes into contact with