BULLETIN OF THE 
C 
No. 18 
Contribution from the Bureau of Soils, Milton Whitney, Chief. 
October I, 1913. 
A REPORT ON THE PHOSPHATE FIELDS OF 
SOUTH CAROLINA. 
By Wm. H. Waggamax, 
Scientist in Investigation of Fertilizer Resources. 
INTRODUCTION. 
The first important discoveries of phosphorites or amorphous phos- 
phates made in this country were those of South Carolina. For many 
years these fields furnished most of our supply and much of Europe's. 
But during the last 20 years the output has been gradually diminish- 
ing, owing in part to the exhaustion of the more readily accessible 
rock, but chiefly to the marketing of higher-grade phosphate from 
other sources. 
Although many interesting and valuable articles and papers on 
these deposits have been published from the time of their first explo- 
ration in 1868 down to the year 1904, conditions in these fields have 
changed so materially during the last decade that it is thought 
advisable to issue the present bulletin. This reviews briefly the his- 
tory of South Carolina phosphates, describes the present methods of 
mining and handling the rock, shows what disposal is being made of 
the product, and discusses the future of the industry. 
HISTORY. 
The existence of the phosphate stratum was known for many years 
before its true nature and value were recognized. As far back as 
1839 x the upper portion of the heavy marl (including the phosphate 
stratum) was known as the "Fish Bed" of the, Charleston Basin on 
account of the numerous teeth and bones of marine animals contained 
therein. In 1842 Edmund Kuffin 2 made an agricultural survey of 
South Carolina, but his report, which was issued the following year, 
dealt chiefly with the occurrence and extent of the marls of the State. 
Holmes 3 states that he and some of his associates submitted samples 
of the nodular phosphate to Rufnn for examination, but apparently 
i Holmes, F. S. The Phosphate Rocks of South Carolina, p. 65 (1870). 
2 Chazal. A Sketch of the South Carolina Phosphate Industry, p. 34 (1904). 
3 The Phosphate Rocks of South Carolina, p. 57 (1870;. 
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