236 
FLORIDA state; geological surve;y. 
The first shipment of land pebble was probably made in 1891 al¬ 
though development began during the preceding year. In 1892 the 
production according to the statistics of the United States Geological 
Survey amounted to 21,915 tons. The rate of increase in the produc¬ 
tion of land pebble was at first gradual, but in late years has been very 
rapid. In 1906 the output of land pebble for the first time exceeded 
that of hard rock. The amount of land pebble mined during 1908 is 
greatly in excess of that mined during any previous year, falling little 
if any short of 1,150,000 long tons. 
The total amount of phosphate mined in Florida during 1908 was 
about 1,950,961 long tons. The limit of error in this total is slight and 
is concerned chiefly with land pebble, the production of which may 
vary slightly from the amount calculated. The value of the 1908 out¬ 
put at the mines is little, if any, short of ten million dollars. The total 
amount of phosphate on hand at the close of 1908 was unusually 
large. 
The total amount of phosphate marketed for any year may be more 
or less than the amount mined during that year, depending upon the 
amount held in storage from the preceding year and th.e amount 
remaining unsold at the close of the year. According to the statistics 
gathered by the U. S. Geological Survey 1 the total amount of phos¬ 
phate mined in Florida during 1908 was 1,941,362 long tons. The 
amount marketed as given in the report was 1,692,102 long tons. 
Practically all of the hard rock phosphate produced in Florida is 
exported, the home consumption of this grade being insignificant. Dur¬ 
ing 1908 only 9,900 tons of hard rock is reported as consigned for use 
in the United States, 6,000 of which is reported as used in Florida. 
The river pebble, although not used in Florida, is used entirely within 
the United States, no part of the 1908 output having been exported. 
Of the land pebble output for 1908, about 25,000 tons is reported as 
having been used in Florida. Of the total amount shipped the re¬ 
mainder was approximately equally divided between domestic and 
foreign ports. 
The American Fertilizer records shipment of Florida phosphates 
during # 1908 as follows: 
Hard rock, foreign shipments .... 631,001 tons. 
Land pebble, foreign shipments.. 470,270 tons. 
Land pebble, domestic shipments.... 421,781 tons. 
River pebble, domestic shipments .. 8,468 tons- 
1,531,521 tons. 
1 The Production of Phosphate Rock in 1908, by F. B. VanHorn, Advance 
Chapter from Mineral Resources for 1908, p. 5, 1909. 
