COPY 
                                      KING RANCH 
                                    KINGSVILLE, TEXAS 
                              RICHARD Y. KLEBERG, JR., SEC'Y 
Robt. J. Moberg, Jr., Pros.                                       R. M. Kleberg,
Chm. 
 
                                   February 17, 1947 
 
 
     Mr. Seth Gordon 
     Executive Director 
     Pennsylvania Game Commission 
     Harrisburg, Pennsylvania 
 
     Dear Mr. Gordons. 
 
              Thanks ever so much for your nice letters of February 10 and
11, 
     together with the copy of your letter to Mr. KlAberg. We are oertainly

     happy that you enjoyed your trip to the King Ranch and hope that you
will 
     stop in whenever you happen to be in this section. 
 
             "The material which you saw in the mineral troughs at all
cattle 
     waterings was crystalline disodium phosphate. The phosphorous content
of 
     this material is 8.66% and the phosphorus pentoxide content is 19o8%.

     The above material is mixed with bonemeal, which itself contains considerable

     phosphorus in order to increase the palatability of the disodium mixture
to 
     cattle. On some paits of the ranch, bonemeal is mixed with disodiuu
phosphate 
     crystalline in the ratio of llO1 in other areas, cattle do not relish
the 
     material unless the mixture is about 1,1. We have been buying crystalline

     disodium phosphate from Peaslee-Gaulbert Corporation, Dallas, at a cost
of 
     $2.55 per *wt. Bonemeal of course can obtained from Swift & Company
and 
     practically any of the other major packers. 
 
              In addition to supplying a mixture of disodium phosphate crystalline

     and bonemeal in troughs near waterings, the ranch has also fertilized
many 
     pastures with superphosphate which contains about 2C% phosphorus pentoxide.

     We formerly obtained superphosphate from the International Mineral &

     Chemical Corporation at Texarkana at a cost of $25.30 per ton but this

     material has been hard to obtain lately, and the only source I know
of at 
     present is Swift & Company in Houston. 
 
              I cannot find anyone who has seen doer feeding from the mineral

     troughs or what might indicate that turkey or deer make heavy use of
the 
     minerals* Deer probably obtain as much phosphorus as they need by browsing

     western haekberry (Celtis pallida) and other native shrubs which analysis

     has shown have a much higher natural phosphate content than do the common

     rqnge grasses usually consumed by cattle. It is difficult to cheek the
exact 
     value of fertilization and increased minerals on deer and other game
in the wild 
     however, and I feel sure that experiments of the type which you plan
may produce 
     very interesting results* 
 
             With all good wishes, I am 
                                                Yours truly, 
 
                                                  a/ V. W. Lehmuann 
 
 
Wildlife Manager 
 
 
vwl;g