14 
FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY-I 5 TH ANNUAL REPORT 
STATISTICS ON MINERAL PRODUCTION IN FLORIDA 
DURING 1921 AND 1922 
COLLECTED IN CO-OPERATION BETWEEN THE FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL 
SURVEY, THE UNITED STATES GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, AND THE 
U. S. CENSUS BUREAU 
The total value of the minerals produced in Florida during 1921 was 
$12,986,699. This represents a very decided decrease in total value of 
production over that of 1920, the reduction being mainly accounted for 
in the decreased output and value of phosphate. For 1922 the total 
mineral production value reached $11,445,073. The continued slight 
decrease in the production and value of phosphate was somewhat offset 
by the increased production and value of all of the other mineral in¬ 
dustries of the State. 
BALL CLAY OR PLASTIC KAOLIN 
This high-grade clay was discovered in Florida near Lake Eustis, 
Lake County,* and Mr. Lawrence C. Johnson, of the United States 
Geological Survey, is credited with first reporting its occurrence.f A 
record of the beginning of mining is contained in the Mineral Resources 
of the United States for the year 1893, page 614. An interesting fact 
in this connection is that the Edgar Plastic Kaolin Company, of Me- 
tuchen, NL J., who were among the first to mine this clay in Florida, have 
continued to mine through the intervening years and are heavily inter¬ 
ested in properties in Putnam and Lake counties. Mining has been 
carried on continuously since the year above mentioned and the ball 
clay industry of Florida has continued to increase in importance. 
The Florida ball clays mined at Edgar, Putnam County, and near 
Leesburg, Lake County, are the purest found in this country. The clay 
occurs intimately mixed with coarse sand and quartz pebbles, these latter 
forming the larger percentage of the mass. The only treatment in the 
process of refining is that of washing, which removes the sand and 
*U. S. Geol. Surv., Min. Res. of the U. S., 1889 and 1890, p. 441, 1892. 
flbid, Min. Res., 1891, p. 507, 1893. 
