KNOW YOUR PHOSPHATES 



By JOHN R. SPENCER 



Director of Soil Improvement 

 for th* lAA 



WITH the use of rock phosphate in 

 Illinois rapidly increasing, it is im- 

 portant that farmers should know the 

 difference between two types of phos- 

 phate being shipped into the state. 



Most of the standard Tennessee and 

 Florida rock phosphate carries from 30 

 to 33 per cent phosphoric acid (PjOs) 

 and is ground so that at least 85 to 90 

 per cent will pass through a screen hav- 

 ing 200 meshes to the linear inch or 

 40,000 openings to the square inch. 



There is also a colloidal phosphate of 

 a lower grade from Florida which car- 

 ries from 20 to 24 per cent phosphoric 

 acid and is not as finely ground, accord- 

 ing to a number of tests by the soil 

 improvement department of the Illinois 

 Agricultural Association. • Dr. F. C. 

 Bauer of the U. of I. College of Agri- 

 culture points out that the colloidal 

 phosphate has a value approximately 

 two-thirds that of Tennessee and 

 Florida high grade of materials. 



Since the price per ton for the low 

 and high grade phosphate materials 

 delivered are fairly close together, the 

 high grade phosphate is a better buy 

 because the cost per unit of phosphoric 

 acid is considerably cheaper in the high 

 grade material. 



Farmers should particularly inquire 

 from the dealer as to the type of ma- 

 terial they are buying to find out 

 whether it is 30 to 33 per cent or col- 

 loidal 20 to 24 per cent phosphoric 

 acid content. 



All of the marketers of the higher 

 grade Tennessee and Florida material 

 furnish an analysis of each rail car ship- 

 ment to purchasers. In case of doubt, 

 a test on a representative sample of the 

 car contents can be taken by the farm 

 adviser and sent to the soil improve- 

 ment department of the lAA for test- 

 ing. 



The difference in quality in the two 

 types of material has been recognized 

 by the AAA in their payment rates 

 which are 55 cents per 100 pounds for 

 the standard Tennessee or Florida ma- 

 terial and 40 cents per 100 pounds for 

 the colloidal phosphate material. Per- 

 haps one of the reasons why a sizable 

 tonnage of colloidal material has come 

 into the state is that fairly prompt ship- 

 ments are being made and while low 

 grade it is still a source of needed phos- 

 phorous. 



In the past Illinois farmers have 



secured most of their high grade ma- 

 terial from "brown rock" sources in 

 Maury and Giles county, Tennessee. 

 Within the last three years an increas- 

 ing amount of "pebble phosphate", also 

 high grade, has been coming from 

 Florida, due in part to a decrease in 

 exports as the result of the war. 



The very large demand for rock 

 phosphate apparently could not be sat- 

 isfieci by the Tennessee producers and 

 may be a factor in the movement of 

 Florida material. Also, until recently 

 the Florida material has been under a 

 freight disadvantage. The rail distance 

 from the Florida "land pebble" field to 

 Chicago is approximately 1320 miles 

 compared with 656 miles from Mt. 

 Pleasant, the center of the Tennessee 

 brown rock field. 



However, a new lower freight rate 

 on ground phosphate rock from Flor- 

 ida points to Chicago became effective 

 March 20 and covers both grades. The 

 new rate is $7.35 per gross or long ton 

 (2240 pounds) compared with the 

 former rate of $9.52. This $7.35 rate 

 ($6.56 net ton of 2000 pounds) has 

 also been published to the following 

 points in Illinois : Joliet, Hinsdale, 

 Hoopeston, LaRose, Beardstown, La- 

 Salle, Peoria, Quincy, Springfield, 

 Streator and intermediate points. 



A freight rate of $6.70 per gross ton 

 ($5.98 net ton of 2000 pounds) became 

 effective Jan. 11, from Florida to East 



St. Louis on phosphate rock of both 

 grades of material. This is also effective 

 on intermediate points on the Louis- 

 ville and Nashville, Southern, Gulf, 

 Mobile and Ohio and Illinois Central 

 Railroads. Minimum weight is 100,000 

 pounds (50 tons) or marked capacity of 

 the car but in no event less than 40 tons. 

 The freight rates to most of northwest- 

 ern Illinois are not published as yet 

 but probably will be ready some time 

 in April. 



If the demand and rate of incoming 

 shipments is a reliable indication, Illi- 

 nois farmers have certainly developed a 

 consciousness of their soil's need of 

 phosphate. Amounts of 5000 to 

 8500 tons of rock phosphate applied 

 per county arc no longer unusual rec- 

 ords and probably will be exceeded this 

 year due to the several favorable factors 

 in the rock phosphate picture. 



Crops are removing more than 500,- 

 000 tons of phosphates annually from 

 Illinois land (in terms of 31 per cent 

 rock phosphate). It is estimated that 

 more than 200,000 tons of rock phos- 

 phate were applied by Illinois farmers 

 last year so progress is being made on 

 replacing this important plant food 

 element. 



Fniit Exchange Meeting 



Scheduled For April 17 



Annual meeting of the Illinois Fruit 

 Growers Exchange and its subsidiary, the 

 Fruit Exchange Supply Company will be 

 held April 17 in the Little Theatre build- 

 ing on the campus of Southern Illinois 

 State Normal University, Carbondale. 

 The meeting will start at 10 a.m. 



Guest speaker for the annual meeting 

 will be R. B. Corbett, secretary-treasurer 

 of the American Farm Bureau Federa- 

 tion. 



-^I*- 



Don't let this happen on your iarm. One 

 oi the main aims oi the spring cleanup 

 campaign sponsored by the National Fire 

 Protection Association is to remind farmers 

 oi the necessity oi maintaining a sound 



fire-resistant rooi on bams and other build- 

 ings to protect crops, miachinery and stock. 

 This bam went up in smoke when the 

 ilammable rooi was set afire by a wind- 

 blown spark. 



paid 



12 



L A. A. RECORD 



