THE CANADIAN H0RTICULTUEI8T. 



69 



through the same: cycle. This, how- 

 ever, is broken by the dense population 

 of cities, when the phosphates, instead 

 of passing again into the land, are lost 

 by our present defective method of get- 

 ting rid of city sewei-age. A good deal 

 of phosj)hate is also lost to this country 

 oy the shipment of cattle and grain to 

 distant markets by sea and land, and 

 hence the desirability of building up 

 the waste thus made from the natural 

 beds found in various parts of the 

 world. Fortunately for Canada she has 

 the richest and apparently the largest 

 deposits which have yet been discovered 

 on the face of the globe. 



The first of these deposits was dis- 

 covered by the late Mr. Vennor of the 

 Geological Staff, also known to fame as 

 a weather prophet, in 1871, in the 

 County of Hastings. This area was 

 subsequently much enlarged, specimens 

 were found throughout the entire dis- 

 trict lying back of the city of Kingston, 

 and mining is still, to some extent, 

 being carried on there. 



It is in the Laurentian range of the 

 Province of Quebec, and more especially, 

 as far as has yet been discovered, in 

 that part lying in the townships of 

 Buckingham, Templeton, Wakefield, 

 Hull, Derry, Portland and Bowman, 

 that mining is chiefly being prosecuted, 

 and more especially in the two first 

 named townships. The question of the 

 continuity of these deposits was at one 

 time doubted, but later tests which have 

 been made by means of the best mining 

 appliances, such as steam hoists and 

 drills, have shown that at the depth of 

 three hundred feet the phosphate is of 

 a higher grade, whilst the deposits are 

 more extended. These discoveries go 

 to show that our Quebec beds are prac- 

 tically inexhaustible. 



These mines have a great advantage 

 as being situated in contiguity to navi- 

 gable water, the Lievres River, which 

 is deep and sluggish, where the mineral 



is placed on scows which are towed 

 down by steam tugs, or are left to drift 

 till they reach Buckingham village, 

 situated on the Canada Pacific Railway. 

 Hitherto most of our Canadian phos- 

 phates have been shipped to Liverpool 

 by steamer from Montreal, where they 

 have been treated with acid, and again 

 distributed as superphosphates through- 

 out Britain and Europe, a large per- 

 centage again finding its way across the 

 Atlantic into the United States. 



The grades shipped are known as 

 firsts, seconds and thirds. The best is 

 from 80 to 85 per cent., second-class 

 75 to 85 per cent., third-class below 75 

 per cent. 



Phosphate is found in various forms, 

 sometimes in crystals, at others in 

 masses, varying from compact to coarse 

 granular, in strata of a lamellar texture, 

 and in a friable state called " sugar 

 phosphate." The color varies from 

 greenish to clear sea green, bluish, red, 

 brown of difierent shades, yellow, white, 

 and cream colored. Phosphate runs 

 from twelve feet squai-e to sixteen feet 

 square to the ton, according to its com- 

 pactness. 



The old style of mining surface de- 

 posits has now been superseded by men 

 of capital and powerful companies. 

 These have introduced steam power and 

 improved machinery, and by this means 

 a higher grade of the mineral has been 

 taken out at a less cost. This has 

 placed mining operations on a more 

 permanent basis. The actual cost of a 

 ton of phosphates delivered in Liver- 

 pool is about five dollars, after paying 

 all expenses for mining and freight. 

 The price obtained in Liverpool ranges 

 fi'om twenty-sLx; to twenty-eight dollars 

 per ton, so that thei'e is a large margin 

 for profit. It is, however, only by a 

 large outlay of capital that the above 

 results are obtained. The first year's 

 opei'ations seldom leave a margin, 

 owing to the heavy expense for plant 



