264 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT. 
better drained areas the oats are sown broadcast. This crop is one 
of the main sources of hay. It is grown by nearly all of the farmers 
and is cut just before the grain ripens. 
A small amount of rye is also grown in much the same manner 
as oats, and cut for hay. Millet has recently been introduced. This 
crop makes a rank growth and affords an abundance of forage. 
Beggarweed hay is also, an important forage crop, and the larger 
part of it is obtained from land that has already grown some other 
crop. Beggarweed is self-sown. 
Sugar cane was one of the early crops of the county, and is still 
of considerable importance. Although not grown commercially, a 
patch is grown by nearly every farmer for the manufacture of sirup 
for home consumption. The varieties grown are the Red, Large 
Green, Cuba, White, and Ribbon. There is little noticeable differ¬ 
ence between the several varieties, although the Red and Cuba are 
probably the most popular. Rice was formerly grown on a small 
scale, and is said to have produced an average yield of about 15 
bushels per acre. The decline in its production was due to the ap¬ 
pearance of a blight. A variety of upland rice is still grown, though 
the acreage is decidedly small. 
Sweet potatoes are grown for home use, but have never been 
important commercially. They are produced on all the upland soils 
in the county, the yields averaging about 200 bushels per acre. 
Irish potatoes are grown on a small scale. Although large yields 
are secured, the production of this crop has never been extended to 
any great extent. • Irish potatoes do exceptionally well on the Ports¬ 
mouth fine sandy loam, the soil upon which the potato industry has 
been extensively developed in other localities. The crop also does 
well on the Norfolk soils, the Coxville fine sandy loam, and the 
Portsmouth fine sand. Potatoes may be planted in January, although 
the general practice is to plant about February 1. The early plant¬ 
ings are harvested in May and the later plantings and later varieties 
in June. The crop is usually planted on ridges in soil plowed about 
3 inches deep, the seed bed having been prepared in November. The 
potato beetle, which does so much damage to the crop in other 
localities, is unknown here, but potato “wilt,” or “blight/’ is some¬ 
times destructive where spraying is not practiced. 
More money is brought into the county from the production of 
strawberries than from any other agricultural source. Berries begin 
to ripen some seasons as early as the first of January, though ship- 
