ECONOMICS 307 



but in 1012 it fell to $2.50 and $2 for the vanadium contain' ! 

 in ferro-vanadium. 



The imports of roasted patronite, a vanadium sulphide, from 

 IN ru, were large and the production of ferro-vanadium probably 

 the largest in the history of the industry. 



TITANIUM 



According to F. L. Hess there was only one American producer 

 of rutile in 1912. This was the American Rutile Company whose 

 mine and mill are located at Roseland, Nelson County, Virginia. 

 This company produced *in 1912, 275 tons of concentrates carry- 

 ing from 80 to 85 per cent. TiO 2 . The principal impurity is an 

 iron oxide in ilmenite. The ilmenite is separated from the rutile 

 by an electro magnet. About 100 tons of concentrates were 

 produced in 1912, containing 94 per cent, of TiO 2 . The separated 

 material carries from 50 to 60 per cent, of titanic oxide and 42.3 

 per cent, of iron oxide. The prices ranged from $30 to $100 

 per ton according to percentages of TiO 2 and the quantity of 

 the concentrates placed at one time. 



ZIRCONIUM 



The production of zirconium in the United States is limited to 

 a few thousand pounds per annum. In 1910 there was no output 

 recorded. The product is generally derived from the monazite 

 sands of North Carolina. Another interesting locality is Barin- 

 ger Hill, Texas. This locality is 12 miles north of Kingsland, the 

 nearest railroad station. 



The economic interest in the rare earth minerals centers in 

 their incandescence when heated. Thoria, beryllia, yttria, and 

 zirconia show this property in the largest degree. Thoria and 

 beryllia form the bulk of the incandescent oxides used in gas man- 

 tles. They are too easily volatilized to be used in an electric 

 glower, such as the Nernst lamp. Zirconia and yttria will stand 

 the necessary high temperature. 



According to the January-March, 1913, Bulletin of the Impe- 

 rial Institute the largest use of zirconia lies in its employment 

 as a refractory material. Crucibles moulded from a mixture of 

 90 parts of zirconia and 10 parts of magnesia made into a paste 

 with 10 per cent, of phosphoric acid are extremely resistant to 



