The Phosphates of America. 83 



ience. The negro labor, which forms ninety-five per cent, of all 

 that is used in the mines, is cheap, but is not very good and is far 

 from plentiful. There are no wagon roads suitable for transporta- 

 tion purposes, and the railroad facilities are altogether inadequate, 

 the companies being at the present time very poorly provided 

 with freight cars. 



Only relatively few mines are within access to the railway, 

 and of these the larger number ship their "high-grade rock" 

 by rail to Fernandina and thence to Europe by steamer, while a 

 smaller number forward theirs to Tampa over the South Florida 

 Railroad. The " pebble " phosphate is chiefly sent over the 

 Florida Southern Railroad to Punta Gorda, but some of it goes 

 over the same line to St. John's River via Sanford. The rock 

 going to Fernandina pays a freight of about $2.20 per ton, that 

 to Port Tampa about $1.10, and the "pebble" to Punta Gorda 

 and St. John's River costs about 75 cents. 



The natural difficulties and impediments are at present rather 

 discouraging, but the deposits themselves are of such immense 

 extent, and the demand for them is likely to be so great and con- 

 tinuous, that all obstacles to their exploitation must be of necessity 

 eventually cleared away. With the disappearance of the obstacles 

 the material of all grades will come forward in large quantities, 

 and as its chemical composition is very satisfactory, it will soon 

 compete favorably for superphosphate-making with any other phos- 

 phates now popular with fertilizer manufacturers. 



