Evening star., 1938-05-20

ished. It needs replenishing. The
necessity for wider use Of phos-
pilates and the conservation Of
our supplies Of phosphates for future
generation is, therefore, q matter OF
great public concern. We cannot place
our agriculture upon a permanent basis
unless we give 1t heed.
Deficient Soil Types.
cannot overemphasize the i'm
portance of phosphorus not only to ag-
riculture and soil conservation. but
also to the physical health and econo-
mic security Of the people Of the
Nation. Many of our soil types are
deficient In phosphorus, thus causing
low yields and poor quality Of crops
and pastures.
Indeed, much Of the present acceler-
ated soil erosion in the United States
has taken place, and is still taking
place, on land that has either been
abandoned or is ready to be abandoned
because of low productivity brought
about the failure to maintain the fertil-
izing elements in the soil. In many
cases the retaining of eroded land is
largely matter of stimulating plant
growth such as legumes and grasses:
but hand in hand with this we must
also replenish the actual phosphorus
content Of the soil.
Recent estimates indicate that the
removal Of phosphorus from the soils
Of the United States by harvested
crops. grazing. erosion and teaching
greatly exceeds the addition OF phos-
phorus to the soil through the means
Of fertilizers. animal manures and
bedding, rainfall. irrigation and seeds.
1t appears that even with a COM
plete control of erosion, which OBJ
viously is impossible, a high level
Of productivity will not be main
tanned unless phosphorus is returned
to the soil at greater rate than Is
being done at present. Increases by
the addition Of phosphorus to the
soil must be made largely, if not en-
tirely, in the form of fertilizers which
are derived principally from phosphate
rock.
Supplies of Phosphate Rock.
Therefore the question of continu-
Gus and adequate supplies of phos-
phate rock directly concerns the
national welfare.
The total known world supply Of
phosphate rock is estimated at l7.2
billion tons, of which 70 billion tons
is located in the United States. Nearly
all the remainder is controlled by
Great Britain, France and Russia.
The supply in the United States is
distributed as follows: Florida. IA per
cent; Tennessee, IA per cent; West
ern States idaho. Montana, Utah and
Wyoming>. 9O8 per cent, and other
States (ArkanSas, Kentucky, South
Carolina and Virginia). 04 per cent.
The domestic production Of phosphate
rock amounted to 3,35l,857 tons in
1886, drawn from Florida (78.3 per
cent?, Tennessee l9.2 per cent? and
Idaho and Montana CAS- per cent?.
Exports of phosphate rock amounted
to 1.208, ,95l tons, almost entirely from
Florida, and consumption of phosphate
rock for non agricultural purposes to-
tailed 352.275 tons.
Thus it appears that Of the total
domestic production of phosphate rock
only SO per cent was used for do
mestic agricultural purposes.
Owing to their location in relation
to the principal fertilizer consuming
districts, the Florida and Tennessee
deposits, which contain less than 10
per cent Of the Nations supply, are
furnishing more than 81 per cent of
all the phosphate rock used for do
mestic agricultural purposes. Under
present conditions. by far the greater
portion Of our phosphate requirements
will continue to be drawn from the
Florida and Tennessee deposits so long
as these deposits last. When it is
realized that the consumption of phos-
phate fertilizer must be increased con-
siderably if our soils are to be main
tanned reasonably near their present
levels Of fertility, which in many cases
are far below the levels necessary for
an efficient agriculture, it becomes
apparent that the deposits Of Florida
and Tennessee will last but compare
lively short period.
Must Conserve Deposits.
1t is hardly necessary to emphasize
the desirability of conserving these
deposits to the fullest extent for the
benefit Of agriculture in the East, the
South and a considerable portion Of
the Middle West
At the same time, serious attention
should be given to the development of
the Western phosphate deposits in
order that they may be made to serve
economically the widest possible ter
ritory. 1t is evident that our main
reliance for an adequate supply of
phosphate must eventually be placed
on our Western deposits.
As of December /, 1886, the Gov
ernment owned 2,124.9O4 acres Of
proven and potential phosphate lands
in Idaho, Montana. Utah and Wyo-
ming. and 66,9l6 acres in Florida. The
Government owns no extensive areas
Of phosphate land in other States.
Although an exact estimate Of the
tonnage of phosphate rock on Gov-