SOIL SURVEY OF PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA. 
301 
itable and well-established groves are situated on this type. 
(Figure 74.) This soil occupies an area of 61.5 square miles. 
Since most of this can be successfully used for citrus fruits, there 
is opportunity for a considerable extension of the industry, as prob¬ 
ably not more than 10 per cent is at present used for fruit growing. 
The other soils are either too wet or too droughty for orange culture. 
Groves ordinarily vary in size from 10 to 30 acres. Larger 
groves, usually controlled by companies, frequently contain a hun¬ 
dred acres or more. 
All the old groves are “seedling groves,” while the young or¬ 
chards consist entirely of budded stock. Seedlings, as a rule, are 
irregular in yield, seldom having two large yields of fruit in suc¬ 
cession. They also are said to require more fertilizer than budded 
trees. 
The native forest growth on the Norfolk fine sand consists prin¬ 
cipally of longleaf pine, which should be removed before the land is 
used for orange culture. The cost of clearing ranges from $20 to 
$75 an acre, depending upon the growth and the method employed. 
Sawmill companies frequently buy the standing timber at $8 to $15 
an acre. The tops of trees and those undesirable for lumber may be 
cut into cordwood, which sells for $2 to $3 a cord. 
Stumps are either burned or cut out and frequently dynamite is 
employed. Considerable land is cleared by contract, which includes 
the removal of all timber growth and the grubbing out of all under¬ 
brush. 
In some instances groves have been planted in clearings where 
the pines have been girdled and left standing. This is not a good 
plan, for when the dead pines are later removed or blown down the 
young fruit trees are not infrequently injured. The dead trees also 
serve as a breeding place for wood-lice and other insects injurious 
to young citrus trees. 
The price of land planted in citrus fruits depends upon the age 
of the trees, varieties, location, improvements, etc., and ranges from 
$300 to $1,000 or more an acre. 
While the rainfall is usually sufficient to produce the citrus fruits, 
irrigation is sometimes practiced. A few groves are equipped with 
the Skinner overhead system. Some means of irrigating the trees 
will be found especially valuable in the areas mapped as the hilly 
phase of the Norfolk fine sand, around Tarpon Springs and east of 
this point. 
