220 CITRUS FRUITS AND THEIR CULTURE. 



fair admixture of sand, so as to open it up, and the sub- 

 soil is somewhat closer so as to hold moisture and pre- 

 vent leaching, the ideal conditions have been secured. 



FLORIDA SOILS. 



The soils of Florida are commonly grouped according 

 to elevation and the growth which they support or have 

 supported in a virgin state. Those commonly used for 

 citrus culture are high pine land, flat woods, high ham- 

 mock and low hammock. On all of these citrus fruits 

 have been and are grown successfully. 



High pine land, as the term denotes, is well elevated 

 and well drained. In a native state it is covered with a 

 growth of long-leaf pine (Pinus australis Michx.), with 

 little or no undergrowth. Sometimes a few high ground 

 willow oaks (Quercus Cinerea Michx.), and other trees 

 are found. Those with a mixture of deciduous trees are 

 usually conceded to be somewhat superior to those cov- 

 ered with a pure growth of pine. The surface soil gener- 

 ally contains a fair amount of humus, the sub-soil is 

 clay or a rather loamy sand, though frequently the clay 

 is not found until a considerable depth is reached. These 

 soils are not rich, but they respond readily to good treat- 

 ment and make good citrus soils. They contain about 

 .026 per cent nitrogen, .016 per cent potash, .022 per cent 

 lime and .05 per cent phosphoric acid. 



The flat woods land likewise supports a growth of 

 long-leaf pine (Pinus australis), but the elevation is con- 

 siderably less and the ground is quite flat and level. In 

 the southern part of the State, in the vicinity of Miami 

 and Punta Gorda, for instance, and generally south of 

 a line from Cape Canaveral to Tampa Bay, the long-leaf 

 pine is replaced by the Cuban pine (Pinus Cubensis Gris- 



