SOIL SURVEY OF THE OCALA AREA, FLORIDA. 
201 
variety planted. The Gainesville soils are suited to this crop, also 
the lower-lying, well drained Portsmouth soils and the better phases 
of the Leon and Norfolk soils. They receive heavy applications of 
commercial fertilizers and generally yield some profit to the growers. 
Cabbage, as stated previously in this report, was the first truck 
crop grown and shipped out of the area. The high yield and quality 
of the cabbage, as well as of tomatoes, grown in the Warm Spring 
hammock at Coleman have made this section widely known. All the 
heavier soils, especially those having a calcareous or marly subsoil, 
are desirable for cabbage. This crop also succeeds well on areas of 
Gainesville sandy loam, having shallow surface soil. In this area 
the Parkwood and Fellowship series of soils are best adapted to 
this crop, and its production is mainly confined to these soils. The 
crop is transplanted to the fields from the middle of September to 
January, the early cuttings being made for the Christmas market 
and later ones in April. It is usually planned to put about 11,000 
plants on an acre and an average yield of about 250 crates is ex¬ 
pected, but the range is considerable, as high as 440 crates to the 
acre having been obtained at Coleman. On the lighter soils the 
yield is somewhat lower, but the quality is good. A crate averages 
about no pounds and the average cabbage about 3 pounds. The 
crop is heavily fertilized on all soils, even on those that are con¬ 
sidered rich, such as the calcareous or marly hammocks. At Cole¬ 
man from 1,000 to 1,500 pounds per acre of a 5-6-8 fertilizer is 
generally used, but the relative proportions of the different elements 
vary in different brands. Some claim that 5 per cent of potash is 
sufficient on the marly lands, but for tomatoes 8 to 10 per cent of 
potash is better. Cottonseed meal mixtures are used generally and 
where any crop needs forcing an application of nitrate of soda is 
given. A number of varieties of cabbage are grown. The flat heads 
are more in favor than the pointed heads of the Wakefield type, as 
it is claimed they make larger yields. Market Garden No. 2 is 
m'ost favored. It makes a flat, firm head and is a sure header. Hen¬ 
derson’s Succession and Allhead Earl})- are also planted. The grow¬ 
ers of cabbage and tomatoes in the Warm Spring hammock have 
made profits consistently and are in good financial condition as a 
whole. The holdings are small; 10 acres is considered enough. 
Some of the growers have installed overhead irrigation plants. 
While this is expensive, it makes the production of a crop more cer¬ 
tain, as the winters are the dry season of the year and water is gen- 
