2/6 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY-SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT. 
sand ranging in color from black to dark rusty brown in the upper 
2 or 3 inches to rusty brown or slightly darker in the lower portion. 
The material of this layer runs high in organic matter and low in 
iron, and although the color would suggest cementation with iron, 
the analyses indicate that the compactness is due rather to the pres¬ 
ence of organic matter. In places the stratum lies sufficiently near 
the surface to be plowed up, under which condition it is said crops 
give poor yields. But one type of the series, the . fine sand, occurs 
in Bradford County. 
LEON FINE SAND. y 
The Leon fine sand consists of about 3 inches of gray or dark- 
gray fine sand underlain by a white or light gray,, incoherent fine 
sand, which extends to a depth of 3 feet or more. At depths vary¬ 
ing from 8 to 30 inches, though usually at 18 to 24 inches, a black or 
dark-brown, dense hardpan layer is encountered, which is penetrated 
with difficulty by the soil auger. This hardpan is similar to that 
occurring in both the Portsmouth fine sand and Portsmouth sand, 
but the material is usually more dense. In exceptional cases the 
hardpan layer does not occur in the 3-foot section, though its 
absence is less frequent than in the case of the other two types in 
which a hardpan occurs. 
This type differs from the Portsmouth fine sand in the light color 
of the soil and the general incoherent nature of the surface soil, due 
to its low organic matter content. It differs from the Norfolk fine 
sand in the lig-hter color of the soil and subsoil and the presence of 
the hardpan layer. 
The Leon fine sand occupies a slightly higher position than the 
Portsmouth fine sand. It occurs on sandy ridges which form the 
divides of streams in the flatwoods country. Its elevation above the 
surrounding country is slight and the slope in most cases almost 
imperceptible. The type supports a characteristic native vegetation 
of scrubby saw palmetto, long-leaf pine, wire grass, gallberry, and a 
variety of evergreen oak that attains a height usually not exceeding 
8 inches. The trees are commonly called “oak runners” on account 
of their long roots, which spread out just beneath the surface. 
The Leon fine sand has its most extensive development to the 
north and northwest of Lake Butler. Practically none of the type 
is under cultivation, and it is generally considered an unproductive 
soil. Owing to the heavy growth of saw palmetto and oak runners, 
the land is difficult to clear. The loose, open structure of the soil 
