December 26, 1908 



HORTICULTURE 



871 



TO SAVE THE PHOSPHATES. 



Washington (Special). — The first 

 tangible result from this session of the 

 National Conservation Commission has 

 been in favor of the agricultural inter- 

 ests of the country and the action in 

 question is of widespread, national 

 significance. 



The report prepared for the Commis- 

 sion by the [I. 3. Geological Survey on 

 the phosphate consumption and supply 

 of the United States showed such a 

 startling condition of affairs that vig- 

 orus steps were immediately taken by 

 the Government, the President order- 

 ing the withdrawal from entry of the 

 extensive area of phosphate lands re- 

 cently discovered in the western states. 

 The Sociological Survey is engaged in 

 the investigation and examination of 

 mineral deposits, but in this instance 

 its work has resulted in the adoption 

 of provisions which are of vital con- 

 cern to every farm and every farmer 

 in the land. The description of the 

 lands withdrawn, which are situated in 

 Wyoming, Ihaho and Utah, was fur- 

 nished by the Survey as a result of a 

 preliminary examination of the area, 

 and further geologic work will be 

 prosecuted as soon as practicable, in 

 which the lands will be carefully clas- 

 sified and those found to be actually 

 underlain with phosphate will be held, 

 pending action by Congress. 



At the present rate of production, it 

 was stated, the known available supply 

 of high grade phosphate rock in the 

 United States will last only about fifty 

 years, and it w r as pointed out that, a 

 large proportion of this is exported for 

 the benefit of foreign farm lands and 

 at the expense of our own. While 

 there is no method of preventing ex- 

 portation from the eastern phosphate 

 fields, it is believed to be possible to 

 prohibit export of the western phos- 

 phates, since they are found largely on 

 Government lands. This western field 

 embraces the largest area of known 

 phosphate beds in the world, and it is 

 unquestioned that it is absolutely 

 necessary to utilize these deposits 

 solely for the benefit of the farms of 

 the United States. 



Phosphoric acid, as is of course well 

 known, is one of the three substances 

 •which must exist in the soil to insure 

 plant growth President Van Hise, of 

 the University of Wisconsin, stated 

 that it had been shown as the result of 

 agricultural experiment station work 

 in Wisconsin, Ohio and Illinois, that 

 in 54 years certain cropped soils of 

 those States had been depleted of one- 

 third of their original phosphoric acid 

 — 1CW0 pounds or 20 pounds per acre 

 annually. Applying this rate of ex- 

 haustion to the 40,000,000 acres of 

 cropped land in the United States, it 

 would require 12,000,000 tons of phos- 

 phate rock annually to merely offset 

 the loss, or as much as the total 

 amount which has been mined from 

 the Florida deposits. 



The rapid rate of increase in the do- 

 mestic use of phosphate taken in con- 

 nection with the limited supply is a 

 matter sufficiently serious; but the 

 feature which should arouse the great- 

 est concern and call forth the most 

 vigorous protest is the exportation of 

 nearlv half the output. From this ex- 

 portation the United States received 

 practically no benefit, whereas every 

 pound of American phosphate is 

 needed for American farm lands. The 



following figures show the steadily 

 increasing production of phosphate 

 rock in the United States: 



PHOSPHATE PRODUCTION IN 



ONITED STATES 

 Year Tons 



1890 510,499 



1900 1,491,216 



1905 1,947,190 



1907 2,265,343 



Of the 1907 production, 900,000 tons 

 or about 40 per cent, was exported. 



The phosphate rock of South Caro- 

 lina is nearly exhausted, and the 

 Florida deposits, once popularly con- 

 sidered practically inexhaustible, have 

 reached their maximum production. 

 They will soon begin to decline. Ten- 

 nesee has comparatively large deposits, 

 but this field alone would at the pres- 

 ent rapid rate of increase in produc- 

 tion, last only, according to the govern- 

 ment geologists, eleven years. There 

 is some phosphate rock in Arkansas; 

 but it is of low grade. The large de- 

 posits, therefore, of the Public Land 

 si.ites must furnish the most of the 

 phosphate of the future, and to insure 

 the enrichment of our own soil from 

 our own phosphoric beds some methods 

 must be devised to prevent the profit- 

 able business of the exportation. 



This, it is believed, can be done only 

 by the Government's retaining title to 

 the public lands underlain with phos- 

 phate and providing for their develop- 

 ment by leasing under terms which 

 will forbid exportation. The lands 

 have therefore been withdrawn by the 

 Seereatry of the Interior, as an emer- 

 gency measure, and will be reserved 

 pending action by Congress. 



H. C. FJZER, Chief Clerk. 

 U. S. Geological Survey. 



GREENHOUSES BUILDING OR 

 CONTEMPLATED. 



Woodbury, N. J. — Frank Merrit, one 

 house. 



New Orleans, La.— D. Guthler, house, 

 15x30. 



Roslyn, Pa. — Victor Groshens, house 

 29x500. 



Springfield, O — Charles Brunner, 

 one house. 



Marblehead, Mass.— L. H. Hayden, 

 house 90 ft. 



Holland, .Pa.— Joseph Swearer, one 

 house, 35x200. 



Bridgeport, Conn.— G. C. Bouton & 

 Son, one house. 



Boise, Ida. — Johnson & Connor, 

 range of houses. 



Mason City, la. — Perth Floral Co., 

 range of houses. 



Kansas City, Mo. — Joseph Austin, 

 two houses, each 30 x 108. 



Wichita, Kan.— Culp & Co., carna- 

 tion house, 21x100; propagating 

 house, 6 x 100. 



INCORPORATED. 

 Batavia, III. — Batavia Greenhouse 

 Co., Batavia; Henry Wenberg, Selma 

 Wenberg, Chas. Johnson; capital, 

 $8,000; greenhouse and nursery busi- 

 ness. 



Chicago, III. -Mrs. Eaton of the 

 Eaton Flower Shop who has been seri- 

 ously ill is now recovering. Miss 

 Eaton who has been out of the store 

 since August is again back at her 

 post. Anton Then, one of Chicago's 

 well known growers, has been ill for 

 several days. 



Troy's WANT Corner 



WANTED 



Lnrge Koster's Blue Spruce running 

 from 5 ft. to 8 ft. high. State size and 

 price and how many you can supply. 



Write giving full particulars to 



r. H. TROY, 



Care "The Rosery," 

 24 East 34th St., NEW YORK CITY. 



ORCHIDS 



Largest Importers, Exporters, Growers 

 and Hybridists in the World 



Sander, St. Albans, England 



and 235 Broadway, Room I 

 NEW YORK CITY 



IMPORTED ORCHIDS 



Arrived in Superb Condition 



Vanda coerules, Cattleva Trianae, 



Cattleya gigas Sanderiana, Cattleya 



Schroederae, Oncidium varicosum. 



JULIUS ROEHRS CO., Rutherford. N.J. 



ORCHIDS 



Orchid BasKets and Peat 



Write for Prices 



JOSEPH A. MANDA 



191 Valley Road - WEST ORANGE, N. J. 



ORCHIDS 



We have some handsome early PercivalHana which 

 we positively guarantee to bloom between now and 

 Christmas, as the buds are visible on the sheath. No 

 less than two new strong growths on each plant. The 

 flowers will more than repay purchase of plant. Plants 

 with 7 to io bulbs $1.00 each; from 10 to 15 bulbs $1.25 



PONEZ BROS., Madison, NJ. 



ORCHIDS Freshly Imported 



We offer a superb lot of Cattleya gigas Sanderiana 

 in hnest condition ; also C. Bogotensis, C. 

 Schroderae, C. labiata, C glgas Hardy- 

 ana type and Miltonla vexillarla 



LAGER & HURRELL, Summit, N.J. 



-0 r c h i r> «s 



Our latest importations have been, Cattleya Chrys- 

 otoxa, Cattleya Gaskelliana, Cattleya Gigas, 

 (Hardyana district), Phalaenopsis Amabilis Schil- 

 leriana and others. We will receive in a short 

 time, Cattleya Dowiana, Miltonia Vexillaria and 

 others. 



Carrillo &' Baldwin 



>.ihai:*.i:s. Kff. J. 



A. N. PIERS0N, Inc. 



CROMWELL, CONN. 



Wholesale Growers of Cut Flowers, Pal ma 

 and Ferns 



OUR SPECIALTIES. Roses, Lily of the Valley and 

 Carnations. We also grow a general assortment at 

 flowers in their season 



HEADOUARTERS 



For Araucarlas, Bays, Kentlas, Solannms. 

 Lorraine Begonias. Best stock In the 

 country. Write for bargain prices. 



GODFREY ASCHMANN 



1012 West Ontario St., Phila., Pa. 



