18 
FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY—15TH ANNUAL REPORT 
PHOSPHATE 
The year 1920 is the record year for the phosphate industry both 
in the quantity produced and in value. Following that year came one 
of depression which was due largely to the European situation and pos¬ 
sibly to some extent also to the large output during 1920. The total 
shipment of phosphate during 1921 was 1,780,028 long tons with a total 
valuation of $10,431,642. This is 1,589,356 long tons less than the out¬ 
put for 1920 and a decrease in value of $9,032,720, or a reduction of 
about 45 per cent in output and of about 46 per cent in value. 
The year 1922 is marked by an increase in production of both the 
hard rock and pebble rock varieties and with only a very small output 
of soft phosphate. In value, however, there was a decided reduction. 
The total shipments of phosphate from Florida for 1922 were 2,058,593 
long tons valued at $8,347,522. This is an increase of 278,565 long tons 
or about 14 per cent in production but a decrease in total value of 
$2,084,120 or about 19 per cent. 
The following table gives the production and value of the four 
varieties of phosphate rock produced in Florida for the years 1900 to 
1922, inclusive. Since the beginning of phosphate mining in 1888 to 
the close of 1922 Florida has produced 44,078,519 long tons with a total 
valuation of $175,097,242. These figures are in accordance with 
statistics collected by the United States Geological Survey and the 
Florida Geological Survey. 
The chart on page 20, prepared by Dr. R. M. Harper, graphically 
illustrates the production of phosphate in Florida from the beginning 
of mining in 1888 to 1922. There is also indicated the causes of marked 
decline in the production for certain years such as for instance, the freeze 
of 1895, the panic of 1907, the World War, 1914 to 1918, the strike in 
the Florida pebble phosphate fields, 1919, and the depressed European 
conditions following the World War, 1921 and 1922. 
