IRRIGATION IN FLORIDA. . H 



accounts for the common use in Florida of the term "pine lands." 

 While a large part of the original forests still stands, and there are 

 many thousands of acres of uncultivated " cut-over " or stump lands, 

 there are also thousands of acres of pine lands cultivated for all 

 kinds of crops. 



The rolling, or high pine lands, are very extensive, especially in the 

 interior of the State. This land is used for the growing of citrus 

 fruits as it is usually well drained, which seems to be necessary to 

 the successful growth of most of the citrus fruits. 



Associated with the high pine lands are the so-called high ham- 

 mock lands, which differ from the high pine lands in that they 

 bore originally a more or less dense growth of hardwood or deciduous 

 trees. These types of lands usually have a deep topsoil underlain 

 with a clay subsoil at a depth of from 4 to 6 feet, varying with the 

 locality. The upper 6 inches of much of this soil is very dark in 

 color, owing to organic matter, while the soil from the first foot to 

 the clay appears to be almost pure sand, the organic matter .decreas- 

 ing rapidly with the depth. It is very necessary to bear this in 

 mind in accounting for the behavior of water when irrigation by 

 furrow methods is attempted. 



Several types of pine lands locally designated under the general 

 name of " flatwoods " are quite extensive in area. The two types best 

 known, the " palmetto " and the " open," generally are very level, 

 with poor natural drainage. The palmetto flatwoods originally were 

 covered with pine and a dense undergrowth of saw palmetto. This 

 type of land invariably has a hardpan underlying the surface at 

 depths varying from 1 foot to 4 feet, and averaging about 2 feet. 

 The open flatwoods may or may not have this hardpan. 



These flatwood soils are very important from an irrigation stand- 

 point, being used extensively in both the Hastings and Sanford dis- 

 tricts for growing crops under irrigation. The part that this type 

 of soil plays in irrigation will be taken up later. 



Although the types of land described above cover the greater part 

 of the State, several other types are cultivated and must be considered 

 in a discussion of irrigation methods. The most noted exception to 

 the sandy soils is the rocky soil of the lower east coast. This section 

 is important in both trucking and citrus growing, although the soil is 

 so rocky in some localities near Miami that large sums are expended 

 in clearing away the rock, and trees frequently are set out in blasted 

 holes. This rock is a limestone formation and forms a rim between 

 the Everglades and the Atlantic Ocean. 



Within the Everglades, at the southern end of the peninsula, there 

 is a great area of peat and muck land. It has been estimated that 

 there is between 2,000,000 and 4,000,000 acres. The depth of the 



