IRRIGATION IN FLORIDA. 3 



This estimate probably is fairly accurate and amounts to approxi- 

 mately 10 per cent of the area in grove and truck crops, the area in 

 field crops being of small importance from an irrigation standpoint. 

 Nearly 20 per cent of the truck crops is irrigated, as the total acreage 

 of truck crops in the State is estimated at 91,000 acres. If water- 

 melons and cantaloupes are not included in truck crops, approxi- 

 mately 25 per cent of the present acreage of truck crops is under irri- 

 gation. 



The largest area of surface-irrigated lands within a restricted dis- 

 trict lies in and near the Hastings potato section and equals about 

 10,000 acres. The remainder of the surface-irrigated lands is scat- 

 tered, although there are about 1,000 acres irrigated in Manatee 

 County, all within a few miles of the town of Palmetto. The next 

 largest irrigated area is the Sanford district, which contains 1,600 to 

 2,000 acres of subirrigated lands. The irrigated groves are well 

 scattered over the citrus section, the largest area within a restricted 

 district being near Palmetto, Manatee County. The overhead-spray 

 systems also are well distributed, although there are several trucking 

 sections which contain several hundred acres under spray. The sec- 

 tions around Williston in Levy County, Bushnell in Sumter County, 

 and Bartow in Polk County are the best known. 



THE NEED OF IRRIGATION IN FLORIDA. 



The condition making irrigation necessary in Florida is not the 

 deficiency in annual rainfall, but its uneven distribution. Localities 

 having a very heavy total rainfall are subject to heavy downpours at 

 times, with long, rainless periods at other times. As crops are grown 

 throughout the year, the distribution of the rainfall becomes of great 

 importance. Truck crops are grown during the winter months — 

 October to May — and require water during that period. Citrus 

 fruits make their growth during the spring and summer months and 

 must not be allowed to become too dry. 



The mean annual rainfall at some of the Florida stations is as 



follows : 



Rainfall in Florida. 



Inches. 



Pensacola 56. 25 



St. Augustine : 47.98 



Orlando 51. 02 



Tampa 53. 21 



Fort Myers 52. 19 



Hypoluxo 63. 20 



These stations read from north to south, the two extremes, Pensa- 

 cola and Hypoluxo, having the heaviest rainfall. The central portion 

 of the State from St. Augustine to Tampa varies but little in total 



