WATER SOILS. 329 



soils are especially adapted to truck growing on account of the evenness 

 of the water supply which they maintain. Four per cent of water seems 

 to be an abundant supply, and G per cent makes the soil quite wet. 



"Nearly every important variety of truck crops is grown upon these soils. 



"Truck crops seldom suffer on these soils from drought. It is claimed that in one 

 year a crop of tomatoes was secured with hut 1 in. of rain from the planting to the 

 harvesting of the crop. Certainly a dry period which would cause a most disastrous 

 drought upon the soils at the North appears to have hardly any effect on the crops 

 of these truck soils. Several weeks after a rain the soil immediately under the dry 

 surface is so moist that it will hold together when molded in the hand." 



The hammock lands are characterized by a native growth of hard- 

 wood trees, principally of oak, hickory, magnolia, dogwood, and the cab- 

 bage palmetto, and are considered the most valuable in the State for 

 general agricultural purposes. They have proved especially valuable 

 for the culture of tobacco. They maintain on the average about 8 per 

 cent of water. 



" [In order to secure the tobacco crop from injury hy drought] a very thorough sys- 

 tem of irrigation is being practiced on the hammock lands. It is claimed that the 

 crop matures in from 45 to 50 days under judicious irrigation, against 60 to 70 days 

 without irrigation. It is also claimed that it makes finer wrapper leaf. 



"The irrigation outfit consists of an engine placed near a water course, with a 

 capacity of about 1 horsepower per acre, and 1-in. or l£-in. iron pipe laid near the 

 surface of the ground for mains and laterals, the laterals being about 100 ft. apart, 

 with hydrants every 50 ft. Tanks are frequently used, but it is considered prefer- 

 able now to pump directly into the mains so as to insure sufficient pressure. Nozzles 

 are used which give an even spray, and which are moved from hydrant to hydrant 

 by an attendant as the work progresses. Such an irrigation plant for a field of 20 

 acres or over costs from $100 to $150 per acre. Where the hydrants are not suffi- 

 ciently close to cover the ground with spray a hose is used with a movable spray to 

 water the space between the laterals. 



"Very recently the method of shading, which has been used with great success in 

 the pineapple fields, has been adopted in connection with the tobacco." 



On the Etonia scrub lands there is a dense growth of scrub oaks and 

 low bushes and plants. No grass is found, and only the most hardy 

 desert plants grow. The border line between these soils and the high 

 pine land, on which the trees are large and vigorous and the ground 

 covered with grass, is sharply defined. ' ; There is no apparent reason, 

 from the chemical or physical examination, to account for this differ- 

 ence in the native growth," on the two kinds of land. 



Pineapples are grown extensively on the high pine lands. On these 

 the soil is a coarse, almost pure white sand, apparently devoid of plant 

 food. The subsoil is either a coarse white or yellow sand. As regards 

 physical condition, as well as chemical composition, these soils appear 

 to be absolutely unsuited to agricultural purposes. Nevertheless, with 

 proper fertilizing, shading, and irrigating they have proved very valu- 

 able for the production of pineapples. 



The soils of the Lafayette formation in western Florida are fine, light, 

 sandy loams, resting upon what appears to be a strong clay subsoil of 

 considerable depth. The loam soil contains about 5 per cent of clay, 



