EAST-FLORIDA 237 



thick forests of tall evergreen oaks and other leaf- 

 woods, and bush ; in their natural, wild condition these 

 tracts appear extraordinarily fat and fertile ; trees and 

 shrubs stand so close together that they create warmth 

 and give protection against the sharp north winds, and 

 thus beautiful evergreen plants and other tender 

 growths find lodgment here. But no sooner is the 

 wood cut off than the thin layer of black earth dis- 

 appears before wind and rain, the sun burns up what 

 is left, and then the general white, dry sand remains. 

 Immediately behind Augustin the land rises somewhat 

 above the flat coast proper, but it is still a sand-plain. 

 But on the whole, West Florida is superior to East 

 Florida in the quality and fertility of the land ; and 

 on that account many of the planters here have with- 

 drawn thither. 



The Spanish had done little or nothing in Florida in 

 the way of tillage; therefore the British colonists who 

 came after found ample work in clearing off the for- 

 ests ; but by making use of the forests, especially the 

 pine, they were able to repay themselves richly for 

 their trouble. Boards, pitch, tar, all manner of ship- 

 furnishings and building-materials were sold in great 

 quantity and at a great profit to the near-by West 

 Indies. It is these articles likely from which Great 

 Britain might expect the largest returns to be made by 

 this colony, if possession was continued. Florida, in 

 addition to the common pitch-pine, has a variety of 

 useful woods: cypress (Cupressus disticha) , and ever- 

 green oaks in great perfection and plenty, red and white 

 cedar, sassafras, and farther to the south, towards 

 Cape Florida, there are found a rough species of 

 mahogany and other woods commercially useful. 



