THE SOILS OF FLORIDA. 
G 7 
lar depressions occupied by swamps of cypress or of hard wood trees 
are frequent in the palmetto flatwoods. 
The soil is sandy and usually contains sufficient organic matter 
to give a gray or dark color. The palmetto flatwoods is very gen¬ 
erally underlaid by a dark or chocolate colored stratum known as 
hardpan. The dark color is chiefly due, in the samples which have 
been analyzed, to organic matter. The coloring is most intense in 
the upper part of the stratum, and after passing one to three inches 
into the sand, the color grades to a chocolate or coffee grounds color, 
which in turn gives place at a variable depth to light colored sand. 
The hardpan stratum is the most characteristic and persistent fea¬ 
ture of the palmetto flatwoods. The following analysis is of a sam¬ 
ple of hardpan. 
Analysis of a sample of hardpan from palmetto flatwoods; sam¬ 
ple collected by It. M. Harper; analysis by A. M. Henry, assistant 
State Chemist: 
Per Cent. 
Silica . 95.62 
Volatile or combustible matter. ' . 3.33 
Undetermined (mostly clay). 1.05 
Total ....100.00 
The most extensive areas of palmetto flatwoods lie bordering, or 
at least near the coast. It is not, however, confined entirely to the 
coast, but occurs inland where the conditions are favorable. Ex¬ 
tensive areas of palmetto flatwoods are found interspersed with 
other types of soil through the greater part of peninsular Florida, 
except in the limestone section east of the Everglades in Southern 
Florida, where a distinct type of palmetto pine land is found. Wfest 
of the Apalachicola River, aside from, the strip bordering the Gulf 
coast, the palmetto flatwoods are not extensively developed. The 
pine trees on saw palmetto land rarely grow as large as on the other 
pine lands. This is due to the fact that the tap root is in many 
cases unable to penetrate the hardpan. Upon reaching this stratum 
the tap root frequently curls up or flattens out. This is illustrated 
by the accompanying photographs of trees growing on that type of 
land. Hardpan in the palmetto flatwoods is frequently found at a 
depth of 18 to 30 inches, although it may lie deeper, its occurrence 
and depth and thickness being controlled by the drainage conditions. 
During the dry season the hardpan becomes indurated and is said 
to interfere with the return of water to the surface by capillarity. 
In the case of irrigated lands this objection is overcome, and it is 
