a preliminary report on clays of Florida 
249 
manufacturing, be used for products of superior quality. It is true that 
the best Florida clays are in the western part of the State and the great¬ 
est need for them is in the peninsula, but excellent products can be 
made from many of the peninsula clays. 
REASONS FOR FAILURE OF MANY FLORIDA VENTURES 
More than fifty abandoned brick plants or former locations of 
plants may be found in various parts of the State. This at once raises 
the question as to why so many brick-producing enterprises have pre¬ 
sumably resulted in failure. Various reasons may be assigned for this 
and no one reason would apply in every case. Poor management has, 
no doubt, caused many of these ventures to fail, and in others a clay 
unsuited for brick manufacture was used. In some' cases, small plants 
were erected to supply a small local need, and this having been satis¬ 
fied, the work was discontinued. In one or two cases the limited supply 
of clay was exhausted, and in one other case an encroaching sand-dune 
buried the deposit too deep to make continued manufacture profitable. 
In a few cases the plants were located at too great a distance from 
transportation to be satisfactory. 
POSSIBILITIES AND RESERVES 
Probable Continued Expansion and General Development —-The 
extensive expansion and development so noticeable in Florida during 
the past ten or fifteen years will undoubtedly continue for several gen¬ 
erations. The large areas of undeveloped agricultural lands, the long 
growing seasons, and the mild, even climate, will continue to draw 
home-builders and will cause a permanent and steady increase in gen¬ 
eral commercial enterprises. 
The demand for clay products, and particularly structural materi¬ 
als, will also continue to expand with general growth and development 
within the State. Common brick, face brick, hollow block, fireproofing, 
roofing tile, and floor tile, will be more widely used than now on ac¬ 
count of the decreasing supply and increasing cost of lumber. 
Herein, therefore, lies the greatest possibility in the development 
of the clay industries of this State. All of the products above enumer¬ 
ated can be produced from Florida clays, and, if not produced in the 
State, will be imported from adjoining states. Very careful treatment 
