SOIL SURVEY OF THE OCALA AREA, FLORIDA. 
195 
recorded. The possibility of such extremes makes the growing of 
citrus fruits risky, but the danger is now being met by the use of oil 
smudge pots or open fires in the groves. 
The mean annual precipitation at Archer, as shown by the table, 
is 54.9 inches. At Ocala the mean for 16 years is 51.64 inches. At 
Rockwell for a period of nine years it is 52.55 inches, and at Inver¬ 
ness 51.74 inches. This rainfall is not evenly distributed, the greater 
part falling during the summer months. A wet and a dry season are 
recognized, the summer being the wet season, while the winter is 
looked upon as the dry season. There are really two periods of 
each. The wettest season extends through June, July, August, and 
a part of September. This is followed by a comparatively dry sea¬ 
son. beginning the latter part of September and extending through 
October, November and December. There is then a short season of 
good rainfall in January and February, followed by the driest part 
of the year in March, April and May. The summer rains are tor¬ 
rential and of tropical character, occurring mostly in the afternoon 
and rarely at night, the clouds usually disappearing by sunset. As 
shown by the table, there is considerable range in precipitation from 
year to year, there being a difference of 35 inches between the 
wettest and driest years. Since the so-called dry season occurs in 
winter and spring, when the rainfall is moderate and irregular and 
periods of drought are frequent, trucking is often seriously affected, 
so that irrigation is essential for the greatest measure of success. 
Some irrigation is practiced, the overhead system being used. As 
the elevation is too high for artesian flow, the water must be pumped. 
On an average there is no danger from frost for about 9 months 
of the year, but the growing season is very often extended beyond 
this. Winters occur when there is comparatively little frost and this 
restricted to a short period. January and February are the months 
during which frosts are to be expected. 
Cabbage is the only trucking crop grown during the winter. 
Most of the other truck crops are planted in February.’ In the case 
of tomatoes the seed are dropped in the row and thinned for stand. 
In a couple of weeks seed are dropped in between, so that if frost 
occurs the second planting will come on, and often even a third 
planting is made in order to insure a crop. 
As the area lies inland, the winters are somewhat colder than 
along the coast and the summers warmer. This difference amounts 
at times to several degrees. The citrus groves are located as near 
