MONTHIiY BULLETIN. 333 



the drier period in winter the same as in Florida. Cuba and the Isle 

 of Pines being between 20 and 23 degrees north latitude, have one 

 great advantage over most of the citrus regions of Florida and Cali- 

 fornia, and that is the total freedom from frost injury. The most 

 tender varieties of citrus and tropical fruits may be raised without 

 danger from such injury. 



Soils. 



Although there are some citrus soils in Cuba of the sandy type, like 

 those of the most of Florida, the soils in general are much richer in 

 plant food, and in that respect appear to compare more nearly with 

 those of California. They are extremely variable and hard to classify. 

 This variableness is indicated by the following list of ten types of soil 

 given the writer by Professor F. S. Earle : 



1. Beep sandy pine lands. — Almost pure sand for at least four feet, 

 then mixed with clay. 



2. Gravelly pine lands. — Four to ten inches. Subsoil reddish clay 

 with some admixture of sand. 



3. Paratejo Sahanas. — Open grass lands, often with cabbage palms. 

 Surface soil much like No. 2, but usually rather stiffer and the subsoil 

 decidedly stiffer. 



4. Royal Palm Sahanas (Tobacco Lands). — Surface reddish or 

 brownish loam, 6 to 12 inches. Subsoil reddish or yellowish clay, usually 

 overlying limestone, usually more or less fragmentary and permeable. 



5. TJie Red Lands. — One of the best types of cane land. Made by 

 the weathering of coral rock. Texture of the loess soils but stitfer. 

 No subsoil. Extending down unchanged to the coral bed rock. Perfect 

 natural underdrainage. 



6. Heavy hlack soils with rotten limestone subsoils. These soils give 

 trouble if subsoil is too near the surface. 



7. Heavy hlack soils with stiff clay subsoil. Require care as to 

 drainage, but sometimes give good results. 



8. Black rather heavy loam underlaid with fragmentary serpentine 

 rock. 



9. Iron gravel soils. — Deep deposits of red iron gravel. These often 

 carry 20 to 25 per cent of iron. 



10. Mulatto Lands.— ^tiE brownish soils made from decomposing 

 shales. 



Professor Earle adds: "This list could be considerablj'- extended 

 and each heading could be subdivided, since our soils are extremely 

 variable in character." 



The lands on which most of the citrus is planted would perhaps go 

 roughly into about four classes as follows : 



1. Heavy clay soils, grey to black in color, underlaid with clay or 

 marl or sometimes rock, rather rich in plant food, and hard to work. 



2. The red clay soils varying in depth but some of it very deep, 

 underlaid usually with coral or limestone, easier to work than the 

 last and perhaps one of the best for citrus. 



3. Sandy loam underlaid with clay at varying distances. 



4. Sandy soils containing a small amount of organic matter, some- 

 times very deep, often underlaid with permeable clay at varying 

 distances. 



