6i4 THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY 



adapted. Worst of all, fire would soon get in from the surrounding 

 pine forests (which are burned over more or less every year), and con- 

 sume the muck, timber and all. Several extensive fires have already 

 occurred in the swamp in very dry seasons, it is said, and even at the 

 time of our visit the peaty banks of the canal were smouldering in two 

 or three places. 



With game laws properly enforced Okefinokee would be a paradise 

 for the sportsman. Capt. Jackson wrote of it to a friend in the spring 

 of 1892: 



There is no healthier or more attractive spot in the world, to one who can 

 stand exposure and fatigue, than this property. If you are anything of a 

 sportsman, I will show you fishing and hunting that has never had a parallel. 



The swamp has been and still is much visited by hunters, and their 

 wantonness has greatly decimated the large game, but none of the 

 species have been exterminated yet, and they would probably soon re- 

 establish themselves if given sufficient protection. 



From a scenic standpoint alone Okefinokee is well worth visiting 

 at any season of the year. Its almost untrodden islands, its dense 

 moss-garlanded bays, and its broad open prairies, all have their peculiar 

 charms, and must be seen to be appreciated. There is nothing else 

 exactly like it in the world. There is really more reason for preserving 

 Okefinokee than Niagara, for its destruction would benefit but few 

 people in the long run, and the loss to science would be far greater. 

 It would have been much better if this enchanting wilderness had re- 

 mained in the possession of the state, to be perpetuated as a forest and 

 game preserve for all future generations. 



