and numerous other places that systematic and intelligent farming, even with the meager supply of fertilizer (almost entirely in the shape of bone meal) that has been used, will bring these lands up to a point where they will bring from fifteen to twenty bushels of wheat or from twenty-five to thirty bushels of corn per acre. Such lands that have been so brought up readily sell for from $10 to $40 per acre, according to location. From experiments it has been ascertained that the principal element of plant food lacking in these soils is phosphoric acid. The application of 275 pounds of acid phosphate per acre each year on these lands would consume right at our doors the entire output of the proposed acid factory, even if none were sold elsewhere. This appears chimerical to the casual observer, I must confess, but a careful investigation will demonstrate the soundness of the position taken. A feature throwing some light on the development of the business at Mt. Pleasant is shown by the following table: The lengths of track built in each year are as follows: L. & N. R. R. Private Parties. Year. Feet. Miles. Feet. Miles. 1896 200 .04 1897 1,106 .21 10,343 1.96 1898 4,403 .83 2,386 .45 1899 4,857 .92 30,965 5.86 1900 23,835 4.51 33,152 6.28 1901 250 .05 1,364 .26 1903 29,040 5.50 ------ ---- ------- ----- Totals 34,651 6.56 107,250 20.31 In addition to these tracks, there are about six miles of narrow gauge tracks and about eight or nine sidings and spurs have been built in Lawrence County for loading cordwood for shipment to Mt. Pleasant. In Hickman County, the N. C. & St. L. Ry. has built and acquired by purchase from private owners about seven miles of track, which it is now engaged in extending three miles farther up Swan and Blue Buck creeks, and some five or six miles of private tracks have been built. The following table shows the production of phosphate rock in Tennessee, 1894-1904: Quantity Year. (Long tons). Value. 1894 19,188 $ 67,158 1895 38,515 82,160 1896 26,157 57,370 1897 128,723 193,115 1898 308,107 498,392 1899 462,561 1,272,022 1900 450,856 1,352,568 1901 394,139 1,186,033 1902 454,078 1,341,161 1903 445,510 1,434,660 1904 540,000 1,944,000 ------- --------- Total 3,267,834 $9,428,639