THE SOILS OF FLORIDA. 
59 
of the United States Department of Agriculture. According to this 
system the whole territory of the United States is divided into thir¬ 
teen physiographic divisions designated as soil provinces. The soils 
in each province are grouped in certain main divisions designated as 
soil series. Each series in turn includes one or more soil types. 
The soil series is defined as including soils that are alike in 
origin, color, and in some physical properties. 
The soil type or soil name is a more definite unit than soil series 
and applies to a particular kind of soil within the series. The soil 
name is formed by adding to the name of the series a term descrip 
tive of the soil. Thus Norfolk sand refers to a soil in the Norfolk 
series in which both soil and sub-soil are a sand. Similarly Ports 
mouth sand refers to a soil of the Portsmouth series having a sandy 
top soil and sub-soil. The texture of the soil may be further indi¬ 
cated by introducing a descriptive term such as coarse sand, fine 
sand or very fine sand. In describing soils the depth of three feet is 
taken as a standard, and if a clay sub-soil is found within this depth 
the soil is termed a loam. Norfolk sandy loam thus means a sandy 
top soil and a clay sub-soil within a depth of three feet or less- 
Portsmouth, sandy loam or fine sandy loam refers to soils of the 
Portsmouth series having a clay sub-soil within three feet of the 
surface. 
Florida lies within the coastal plains province. In this province, 
which extends along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts from Long Island 
to Louisiana, nineteen soil series have been recognized by the Bureau 
of Soils. Only a limited part, about ten per cent, of this area has 
been surveyed in detail and additional soil series are likely to be 
established as the soil surveys proceed. In Florida detailed soil sur¬ 
veys have been made by the Bureau of Soils in seven areas as fol 
lows: Escambia, Gadsden, Jefferson and Leon Counties, and parts of 
Alachua, Duval and Jackson Counties. The total area surveyed in 
Florida includes about 3,000 square miles. Within this area five 
series and twenty-eight soil types have been recognized. The five 
series are the Norfolk, Orangeburg, Portsmouth, Myatt, and Gads 
den. 
NORFOLK SERIES. 
The Norfolk series includes light colored sandy soils with yellow 
sand or sandy clay sub-soils. The Norfolk soils are found on com 
paratively level or gently rolling lands, or at least on lands not 
subjected to surface wash, although well drained. No fixed grade 
can be given at which surface wash would be sufficient to remove 
