46 
FLORIDA STATE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 
to the productiveness of certain types of the sand and sandy loam soils. 
The peat and muck soils of Florida have not been extensively used 
because they are in swampy areas which require drainage. Extensive 
drainage operations are in progress in the Everglades, and, if these 
are continued, large areas of peat soil will be available for cultivation. 
The natural productivity of the peat and muck soils of Florida has 
seldom been determined, but, judging from the experience of farmers 
in other States, it is safe to predict that the Everglade soils are 
destined to take rank among the best lands of the State for the pro¬ 
duction of certain crops. Moreover, experience in several other 
States has shown that such soils seldom require the addition of com¬ 
plete fertilizers such as are used on sandy soils. In fact, the addition 
of small quantities of salts of potassium should usually be sufficient to 
cause a peat or muck soil to produce good crops, though possibly, in 
some cases, the addition of phosphates would be necessary. These 
facts are important because it will cost much less to fertilize the peat 
and muck soils than is now being expended on the sandy soils. 
V STRUCTURE. 
One of earliest discussions of the structure of Florida was written 
by Johnson, 1 in 1888. Though he was hampered by lack of detailed 
knowledge of the stratigraphy of the State, Johnson presented con¬ 
siderable evidence to show that the peninsula is a broad anticline. The 
conclusion reached by him was, in a general way, the same as that of 
several subsequent writers. His paper is accompanied by a section of 
the strata across the northern end of the peninsula showing a broad 
arch with the apex in the vicinity of Gainesville. The location of the 
crest of the arch was recognized by the sink-hole topography which 
was thought to indicate the presence of “Eocene” limestone (Oligo- 
cene, Vicksburg group) within less than 100 feet of the surface, and 
the dips away from the central part of the peninsula were determined 
by noting the presence of younger formations at the surface and by 
the altitude of the Oligocene beds in wells at various points. 
About two years after the appearance of Johnson’s paper, Prof. 
Shaler 2 published a brief discussion of the topography of Florida, and 
in the same article stated his ideas of the structure of the State. Prof. 
Shaler appears to have regarded the peninsula as a broad arch which 
he likened to the Cincinnati anticline: 
The first question before us concerns the origin of the Florida uplift. It 
will be observed that we have in the peninsula of Florida a very remarkable 
1 Johnson, L. C., Amer. Jour. Sci., 3d series, Voh 36, 1888, pp. 230-236. 
2 Shaler, N. S., Topography of Florida, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., Vol. 16, 
No. 7, 1890, pp. 139-156. 
