Show profitable B LE DUST BOWL idaho cashes ilal oln AV out in idaho they have a dust bowl that not only is not worrying the good people of that state but stands to bring them in a lot of money they re even planning for its ex mansion for in that dusty sage brush covered expanse of land lies 60 per cent of the known american supply of phosphate rock source of phosphorous one of the three mary plant foods experts say that the dusty treas ure which idaho Is shipping here and there in an ever widening range holds the key to a new and broader agricultural economy in the entire intermountain and pacific west in ages past the rocky mountain area of southeastern idaho north eastern utah and southwestern wyo ming wasa tropical playground for countless prehistoric monsters in passing on to whatever reward was in store for them these monsters bequeathed themselves to posterity in the form of rock phosphate some six billion tons of which are esti mated to be underground unde ra round in that idaho utah wyoming sector prior to 1934 use of phosphate in the west was negligible the rich volcanic soil was in little need of fortification also the limited sup plies of the commercially aured felti fertilizer lizer were being used al most exclusively in the eastern and southern states then during world war II 11 one idaho landholder J R simplot be 14 came worried because he could not obtain sufficient lelent fertilizer for his vast farm lands so in the spring of 1944 he began construction of his own plant in poca tello originally designed to turn tam out 60 tons annually simplot s plant has been expanded to the point where now it is producing tons a year of 18 per cent super phosphate the 18 per cent means that when the phosphate rock has been pulverized to dust and treated with sulphuric acid 18 pep per cent of the phosphoric acid in the rock is made available for use by growing plants |