SOIL SURVEY OF THE OCALA AREA, FLORIDA. 
221 
light-colored subsoil which is only slightly loamy, representing 
rather a gradational phase between this type and the Norfolk fine 
sand. 
The Gainesville fine sand occurs in the western part of the area, 
associated with the Norfolk fine sand. It is found in a belt entering 
at the northwest corner of the area from Levy County and extending 
southeast to Juliette. Around Dunnellon there is another area, the 
two areas being separated by a body of Norfolk fine sand. There 
are also some small areas in Citrus County, two of which occupy 
islands in Lake Tsala Apopka and others the domelike tops of knolls. 
The topography of the larger areas is that of the Norfolk fine sand, 
the surface being rolling and somewhat ridgy or hilly and marked 
by sunken areas, in some of which are ponds. This land is well 
drained and lies well for cultivation. There is no surface run-off, 
the waters readily passing through to lower levels. It is, however, 
more retentive of moisture than the Norfolk fine sand, though re¬ 
garded as a droughty soil. 
The origin of this type is not clear. It is probably residual, at 
least in part from the Vicksburg limestone or an associated arena¬ 
ceous rock. In some places small fragments of a ferruginous sandy 
rock occur on the surface. These show a rather weak cementation 
or a state of partial decomposition, being readily broken down to 
sand. In the lower depths the formation becomes somewhat sticky 
and clay is sometimes found, indicating residual origin, for it is be¬ 
lieved that most of the clay material of the area is residual from 
the underlying rocks. 
There has been a little development of agriculture on this type 
of soil, some of the land having been cleared and occupied early in 
the settlement of this region. Fair yields are obtained. Corn gives 
io to 15 bushels per acre without fertilization. Oats, cowpeas, and 
velvet beans are grown and cut for hay. Crab grass, crowfoot, and 
sandspur come in after the com, and a fair crop of hay is cut in the 
fall. Sea-island cotton has been grown on this land, giving yields 
as high as 500 pounds of seed cotton per acre. Before the freeze of 
1894-95 there were orange groves on most of the farms, from which 
som'e profit was derived. No groves remain now. While the soil 
does fairly well, farmers say it will not stand continuous cropping 
and that it is a good practice, and one followed generally, to let the 
land lie idle every other year and turn under the growth of weeds 
and grasses. The same object could be attained by growing cover 
