THE ARTESIAN WATER SUPPLY OF EASTERN FLORIDA. 1)7 
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acids and has the appearance of being partly cemented' with iron. 
When dry it is fairly well indurated, but as a rule it may be pene¬ 
trated with the soil auger. The transition in the bore hole from 
the light colored sand to “hardpan” is abrupt. The “hardpan” it¬ 
self is very dark colored at the top and grades into chocolate 
colored sands below. (PI. n). 
The “hardpan” is very objectionable in farming lands as it 
prevents free movement of water by capillary attraction. The 
lands underlaid by “hardpan” are not resistant to droughts, how¬ 
ever, where an abundance of water can be obtained cheaply, as 
in the section of flowing artesian water, such lands may be used 
to advantage by keeping them saturated with water. Some of 
the highly successful celery farms of the State are of this type. 
Open flatwoods: The open flatwoods are much less extensive 
than the palmetto flatwoods. The native vegetation of the land 
of this type is chiefly pine and wire grass with little or no under¬ 
brush. The saw palmetto is absent or nearly so and there is 
little or no “hardpan.” The soil to a depth of from one 
to three feet is dark ashy gray owing to the presence of organic 
matter mixed with the sand. A clay sub-soil is usually found 
at the depth of from one to four feet. This type of land when 
drained and irrigated has been used with great success in growing 
Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes and other trucking crops and in 
general farming. (PI. 12. Fig. 3). 
Prairie lands: The word “prairie” as used in Florida is applied 
to open lands devoid of trees. The native growth is largely grass¬ 
es. The Florida prairies are without exception lands that are over¬ 
flowed during the rainy season, the absence of trees being due, in 
part at least, to the flooded condition of the land during a part of 
the year. Many of the prairies, however, are entirely dry during 
the dry season. The soil of these prairies varies. Those prairies 
which become entirely dry during the dry season have as a rule 
a top soil consisting of sand, the organic matter having been largely 
bleached out by the sun during the dry season. Those, prairies 
which only occasionally become dry, or are dry ordinarily only 
a brief season, have more or less organic matter lying upon or 
mixed with the sand. As a rule the prairies occupy a basin de¬ 
pressed below the level of the surrounding country. Some 
of the prairies, especially those having a muck top soil, if success¬ 
fully drained would probably furnish desirable farming lands. 
Other prairies have merely sand lying upon “Hardpan” and are of 
little or no value for farming purposes. (PI. 13, Fig. 2). 
Muck lands: The term “muck soils” is applied in ordinary 
usage to lands on which organic matter from decay of vegetation 
