GEOGRAPHY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA I I? 



The largest towns are Dade City, with 1296 inhabitants in Jan- 

 uary, 1920, Brooksville, with loii, and Zephyrhills (formerly Ab- 

 bott), with 577. 



In 1880 nearly one-third of the inhabitants of Hernando County 

 were from other states, chiefly from Georgia, South Carolina, 

 Alabama, North Carolina, and Virginia, in the order named. 



The leading religious denominations among the white people in 

 1 91 6 were Baptist, southern Methodist, Roman Catholic, northern 

 Methodist ( ?), and southern Presbyterian; and among the negroes, 

 Baptist, African Methodist, and northern Methodist (?). The 

 Catholics seem to be chiefly concentrated near the western edge ol 

 the region in Pasco County, where there are several places whose 

 names begin with "San" or "St." founded about forty years ago, 

 and two Catholic schools. 



Agriculture. The fertile soil attracted farmers at an early period, 

 and in 1850 Benton County (which corresponds with the present 

 Citrus, Hernando and Pasco) had 82 farms, averaging 167 acres 

 apiece, with 32.4 improved, land and buildings worth $966, imple- 

 ments and machinery $82, and live-stock $802. No returns were 

 received from this county in i860, and those of 1870 are probably 

 not very accurate, but by 1880 the farms had increased in number 

 to 589, and diminished in size to 135 acres with 26.2 improved, land 

 and buildings worth $623. implements and machinery $16.80. and 

 live-stock $378. No fertilizer was reported as used there in 1879. 

 The cattle and hogs probably ranged mostly in the open pine lands 

 of the lime-sink region, as they do now. 



Even yet farming in Hernando and Pasco Counties is chiefly 

 concentrated in the hammock belt, so that the following table, based 

 on the returns from these counties, ought to represent conditions in 

 this region from 1890 to 1910 pretty well. 



