20 BULLETIN 462, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



the hundred. The grades are uniformnn the latter case, the contours 

 running about parallel to the riverVedge. 



The surface soils of this flatwoods type generally are light and 

 sandy, the percentage of sand increasing with the depth until the sub- 

 soil is reached. The upper 6 or 8 inches often is rich in organic 

 matter and dark in color, but a large percentage of the soil between 

 the first foot and the subsoil appears to be mostly sand of a whitish 

 or yellowish tinge. The small areas of muck or hammock lands have 

 deeper surface soils and more organic matter throughout. The sandy 

 soils offer very little resistance to the rapid percolation of water in 

 times of heavy rain. 



Throughout the Sanford area there is a practically impervious sub- 

 soil underlying the surface at depths varying from 1 foot to 5 feet. 

 This impervious substratum is sometimes composed of a clay, but 

 usually is of a sort of sandstone which appears to be cemented to- 

 gether with a yellowish material apparently composed of organic 

 materials containing considerable iron, and is very hard and nearly 

 impervious. (See PI. I, fig. 1.) 



The water supply for irrigation use is obtained entirely from 

 flowing wells which vary in depth from 65 to 200 feet, the shallower 

 wells being located close to the river. It is reported that there are 

 at least 1,000 flowing wells in this district, most of them being 

 used wholly or partly for irrigation purposes, although a number 

 may water private garden patches only. The cost of the wells 

 varies with the size and: depth. There are few wells in use, however, 

 over 4 inches in diameter, while practically every farmer adopts the 

 2-inch size, which costs about $1 per foot complete. One well will 

 irrigate 2 to 5 acres, depending upon the character of the soil and 

 the flow of the well. A good 2-inch well will flow 30 to 100 gallons 

 per minute, the better flow usually being on the lower elevations. 

 It is a common practice for the farmer to have a number of 2-inch 

 Avells scattered over his farm rather than to attempt to get larger 

 wells with greater capacity. Many farmers having 15 to 20 acres 

 under cultivation will have four to seven wells, while others will 

 make one well water 5 to 10 acres. The advantage of more wells 

 is considerable, as rapid irrigation is especially desirable at the time 

 of setting plants and depends upon the amount of water available. 



SUBIRftlGA'nON AS PRACTICED AT SANFORD. 



The application of water is accomplished by the so-called subirri- 

 gation method. Briefly stated, this operation consists of running 

 water through underground tile laid with open joints so that the 

 water escapes at the joints and percolates through the ground, thus 

 watering the plants in the course of time. In order to water the 

 entire ground surface, the tiles are placed in parallel rows as close 



