32 
FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY. 
terials. The kaolin and fuller’s earth deposits will be 
studied in detail as quickly as this work can be accom¬ 
plished. Provisions will be made also for tests of brick¬ 
making and other clays, and for the location and extent 
of clay deposits in the State. 
Plastic Kaolin or Ball Clay. 
The ball clays are among the most important clay 
products of the State. They are often called kaolins. 
The term kaolin, however, is best restricted to the white 
burning, highly refractory, and very plastic residual clays. 
The Florida ball clays, while they are white burning, and 
highly refractory are very plastic and are of sedimentary 
origin. Reis suggests that they be known as plastic kao¬ 
lins. 1 The ball clays are used largely to mix with the less 
plastic clays to bring up the grade of plasticity. They 
contain little or no iron and are of light color. This clay 
as it occurs in Florida is intimately mixed with coarse 
sand. There is usually an overburden of a few feet of 
sand. This is loosened and washed into the pit by force 
pumps, and is thence removed by suction pumps. The 
presence of the sand in the clay necessitates washing, 
after which the clay is allowed to collect in the settling- 
basins. It is then compressed into cakes by which excess 
of water is removed. The cakes are then broken up and 
either air-dried or artificially dried for shipment. The 
deposits at present known lie in the central peninsular 
section from Putnam to Polk Counties. Putnam County 
deposits occur in and about Edgar and McMeekin. De¬ 
posits have been located in Lake County along the Palat- 
lakaha (Palalakaha) River. 2 Ball clay has also been 
reported from near Bartow Junction in Polk County, 
which is apparently the locality farthest south at which 
these deposits have been found. 
1 Clays, Their Occurrence, Properties and Uses. 1906, p. 165. 
217th Ann. Reprt. U. S. Geol. Surv., pt. 3 (cont.) 1895-96, p. 872. 
