Issued October 4, 1912. 



United States Department of Agriculture, 



BUREAU OF SOILS CIRCULAR No. 72. 

 MILTON WHITNEY, Chief. 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE, 



Washington, D. C., June 22, 1912. 



SIR: At the time of making the soil survey of the Gainesville area, Florida, 

 Payne Prairie or Alachua Lake, covering a large area near Gainesville, was 

 filled with water and the soils lying in this basin were not shown upon the soil 

 map. Later this area was uncovered and a request was made that the soils 

 therein be classified. The bureau acceded to this request, but before the work 

 could be taken up the water had again risen and covered a considerable portion 

 of the prairie. Nevertheless, an expert from the bureau made an examination 

 of the soils so far as this could be done. The accompanying manuscript and 

 sketch map embody the results of this investigation. I have the honor to 

 request that this matter be published as Circular 72 of the Bureau of Soils. 

 Very respectfully, 



MILTON WHITNEY, 



of Bureau. 

 Hon. JAMES WILSON, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 



SOIL SURVEY OF PAYNE PRAIRIE, GAINESVILLE AREA, FLORIDA. 



By CHARLES N. MOONEY. 



Payne Prairie is an irregular-shaped basin lying in Alachua 

 County. Koughly, its shape is that of the letter " T," the stem being 

 short. The basin is about 8 miles long east and west and varies from 

 14 to 4 miles wide north and south. It is situated about 2 miles from 

 Gainesville. 



Geologically it lies in a limestone section, and it owes its origin 'to 

 the solution of the underlying limestone beds and the formation of 

 a large sink or basin. The soils are made up partly of the original 

 material lying on the limestone before the formation of the sink 

 and partly of later accumulations by wind and water. At the 

 present time the basin, while of irregular shape, gradually slopes 

 from the margin toward the center, as indicated by the water level 

 and depths. To the eye, except on the very margins, the surface 

 looks flat, in fact, there is only a few feet change in elevation, the 

 topographic sheet not showing as much as 10 feet. There occur a 

 number of depressions or ponds in this basin that are somewhat 

 below the general level. The lower levels are toward the eastern 

 end of the lake, the drainage being .toward Prairie Creek and 



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