HAPPY INDIA 151 



to the land, still the artificial manures would be 

 used in addition to a very great extent. 



The next question that arises is how to get these 

 enormous quantities of artificial manure. In a pre- 

 vious chapter (VIII, page 88) I spoke of 7,000,000 tons 

 of superphosphates. Now, of course, the world is 

 not prepared to supply to India that amount of 

 superphosphates all at once, an additional demand for 

 1,000,000 tons would probably put up the price, and 

 yet it is essential to reduce the price, and there is no 

 doubt that these phosphates whether superphos- 

 phates or tricalcic phosphates were used could be got 

 at a price much lower than the ordinary market price 

 by a purchaser who was prepared to give large orders 

 year after year. I have made a good many enquiries, 

 and I find that there are large deposits of tricalcic 

 phosphates in Algeria, Tunis, Egypt, in some Pacific 

 Islands, and in the United States of America, where 

 very important deposits are found in South Carolina, 

 Florida and in the State of Idaho. A little calcic- 

 phosphate has been found in the South of India. 

 In the year 1913 the American and Tunisian calcic- 

 phosphate was sold at about 153. a ton, and I there- 

 fore think if the Indian Government gave a large 

 order and arranged for the regular transport in large 

 steam vessels, it could be delivered at an Indian 

 port for a cost not exceeding 303. a ton. The phos- 

 phates in the South of India have been used to some 

 extent with success. The insoluble phosphate 

 rock, if ground up to a fine powder, will supply the 

 ground with the requisite phosphoric acid. It may 



