No. 6. DEPARTMEMT OF AGRICULTURE. 703 



^4.75 per long ton f. o. b. Mt. Pleasant; in 1891), from $2.15 to $;i.90. 

 Domestic grades sold, 78 per cent, phosphates at $2.75 to |;i.75; 

 75 per cent, at $2.50 to $3.25; G5 to 72 per cent, at $2.25 to $2.75; 

 during IS'Jl), the high-grade domestic reached to $2.50 to $2.75; low 

 grade, $2.25 to $2.50; during the lirst two months of this year, prices 

 rose a few cents. 



South Carolina phosphates were held at a quite uniform price 

 during 1900, the product being controlled by a few large companies. 

 The price for crude rock dropped from $4.25 to $4.50 per ton f. o. b. 

 Fettersea in January to $3 in June, from which it rose to $4 in 

 October; for kiln-dried rock, the prices on the same basis were $4.75 

 to $5.00 in January and remained at $5 until October, when they 

 dropped to $4.50; during January and February of this year, prices 

 held at $3.75 to $4.00 for crude rock at the mines and $4.50 for kiln- 

 dried f. o. b. Ashley river. 



These figures show little change in the prices of South Carolina 

 rock, a distinct decrease in the prices of the lower grade Florida 

 river pebble and in Tennessee phosphates an advance of 25 cents 

 to $1, i. e., from 10 to 30 per cent., according to grade; also, while 

 the South Carolina products dominated the domestic trade, as here- 

 tofore, those of Tennessee formed a very influential factor in deter- 

 mining prices. The quotations of the Oil, Paint amd Drug Reporter 

 for crude and kiln-dried rock cover a brief period and are not compar- 

 able with the figures given for the corresponding season of 1899-1900. 



Considering the cost of the acid used in acidulatiou of the soluble 

 phosphates, and the raw materials cf acid manufacture: While 

 brimstone continues to be replaced more and more by pyrites as a 

 raw material for sulfuric acid manufacture, the actual consumption 

 was somewhat increased in 1900 as compared with 1899. The re- 

 port of the U. S. Bureau of Statistics show the imports for the year 

 ending June 30, 1899, to have been 129,392.44 long tons, at $18.41 

 per ton; June 30, 1900, 155,089.30 long tons, at $17.42 per ton; i. e., 

 at a decrease of 5.4 per cent, in price. 



The Engineering and Mining Journal gives the total imports for the 

 calendar years as follows: 1899, 143,234 tons; 1900, 153,000 tons. 

 Prices were maintained by the Anglo-Sicilian Sulphur Company, but 

 freight rate® increased from lack of hallast room. The prices of best 

 unmixed "seconds" spot. New York, were, Jan., 1899, $21.25 to 

 $22.00; November, $22.00; 1900, January, $21.78; November, 

 $22.25, average for the calendar year, $22.18. Best unmixed 

 "thirds," $2 less. Sellings slow, late in the year, p<^nding the fixing 

 of the scale for 1900-1901. 



The relative increase in the production of pyrites for acid manu- 

 facture continutHl; the exhaustion of the Pillpy's Island deposits 

 was offset bv discoveries of valuable beds in Virginia, Alabama and 



