THE ARTESIAN WATER SUPPLY OF EASTERN FLORIDA.

acids and has the appearance of being partly cemented with iron. When dry it is fairly well indurated, but as a rule it may be penetrated with the soil auger. The transition in the bore hole from the light colored sand to "hardpan" is abrupt. The "hardpan" itself is very dark colored at the top and grades into chocolate colored sands below. (P1. ii).
The "hardpan" is very objectionable in farming lands as it prevents free movement of water by capillary attraction. The lands underlaid by "hardpan" are not resistant to droughts, however, where an abundance of water can be obtained cheaply, as ir the section of flowing artesian water, such lands may be used to advantage by keeping them saturated with water. Some of the highly successful celery farms of the State are of this type.
Open flatwoods: The open flatwoods are much less extensive than the palmetto flatwoods. The native vegetation of the land of this type is chiefly pine and wire grass with little or no underbrush. The saw palmetto is absent or nearly so and there is little or no "hardpan." The soil to a depth of from one
to three feet is dark ashy gray owing to the presence of organic matter mixed with the sand. A clay sub-soil is usually found at the depth of from one to four feet. This type of land when drained and irrigated has been used with great success in growing Irish potatoes, sweet potatoes and other trucking crops and in general farming. (P1. 12. Fig. 3).
Prairie lands: The word "prairie" as used in Florida is applied to open lands devoid of trees. The native growth is largely grasses. The Florida prairies are without exception lands that are overflowed during the rainy season, the absence of trees being due, in part at least, to the flooded condition of the land during a part of the year. Many of the prairies, however, are entirely dry during the dry season. The soil of these prairies varies. Those prairies which become entirely dry during the dry season have as a rule a top so'l consisting of sand, the organic matter having been largely bleached out by the sun during the dry season. Those prairies which only occasionally become dry, or are dry ordinarily only a brief season, have more or less organic matter lying upon or mixed with the sand. As a rule the prairies occupy a basin depressed below the level of the surrounding country. Some of the prairies, especially those having a muck top soil, if successfully drained would probably furnish desirable farming lands. Other prairies have merely sand lying upon "Hardpan" and are of little or no value for farming purposes. (P1. I3, Fig. 2).
Muck lands: The term "muck soils" is applied in ordinary usage to lands on which organic matter from decay of vegetation