Show profitable B LE DUST BOWL idaho cashes in on phosphate n 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 ot of money even planning for its expansion pan sion 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 primary plant foods experts say that the dusty treasure chich abich 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 wyoming was a tropical playground for countless prehistoric monsters in passing on to whatever reward was in store tor for them these monsters bequeathed themselves to posterity in the form of rock phosphate some six billion tons of which are estimated to be underground in that idaho utah wyoming sector prior to 1934 use of phosphate in the was negligible the ne rich volcanic soil was in little need of fortification also the limited supplies of the commercially manufactured fertilizer were being used almost exclusively in the eastern and southern states then during world war II 11 one idaho landholder J R simplot be came worried because he could not obtain sufficient fertilizer for his vast farm lands so in the spring of 1944 he began construction of his own plant in pocatello originally designed to turn out tons annually Sim plots plant has been expanded to the point where now it is producing tons a year of 1118 18 per cent the 18 per cent means that when the phosphate rock has been pulverized to dust and treated with sulphuric add acid 18 per cent of the phosphoric acid in the rock Is made available tor for use by growing plants |