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Show PROFITABLE DUST BOWL Idaho Cashes in on Phosphate Out In Idaho they have "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-panslnn, ex-panslnn, for in that dusty, s.irc-brush-covered expanse of land lies CO per cent of the known American supply of phosphate rock, source of phosphorous, one of the three primary pri-mary plant foods. Experts say that the dusty treasure treas-ure which Idaho is shipping here and thorti In an ever-widening range holds the key to a new and broader agricultural economy In the entire Intcrmountnln and Pacific West. In aiifes past the Rocky mountain area of soullicastern Idaho, north eastern Utah and southwestern Wyoming Wyo-ming was a tropical playground for countless prehistoric monsters. In Passing on to whatever reward was In store for tnem, these monsters bequeathed themselves to posterity In the form of rock phosphate, some six billion tons of which are estimated esti-mated to be underground in that Idaho-Utah Wyoming sector. Prior to 1934 use of phosphate In the West was negligible. The riclt, volcanic soil was In little need of fortification. Also, the limited supplies sup-plies of the commercially manufactured manufac-tured fertilizer were being used almost al-most exclusively In the eastern and southern states. Then, during World War II. one Idaho landholder, J. R. Slmplot, be- v came worried because he could not obtain sufficient fertilizer for his vast farm lands. So in the spring of 1C44 he began construction of his own superphosphate plant In Poca-tcllo. Poca-tcllo. Originally designed to turn out 60,000 tons annually, Simplot's plant has been expanded to the point where now It Is producing 200,000 tons a year of "18 per cent" superphosphate. super-phosphate. The "18 per cent" means that when the phosphate rock ha been pulverized to dust and treated with sulphuric acid, 18 per cent of the phosphoric acid in the rock Is made available for use by growing plants. ' i i I |