198 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY I3TH ANNUAL REPORT 



There are interesting analogies between all these types and dif- 

 ferent stages of human society. In deserts and polar regions there 

 is no permanent population; where conditions are a little less for- 

 bidding there are tribes with simple civilization and little educa- 

 tion, where nearly all men ha\e the same occupation, like the Bed- 

 ouins and Eskimos ; and at the other end of the series are highly 

 civilized communities, with a very complex division of labor, and 

 individuals varying in .ability and usefulness from criminals (anal- 

 ogous to the parasites of the vegetable world) and loafers to gen- 

 iuses and "intellectual giants," analogous to the largest trees.* 



No classification of vegetation can be final or complete, for 

 there are all sorts of intergradations between different types, and 

 some types which may be perfectly distinct or at least not inter- 

 mediate between any other two may escape observation on account 

 of occurring only in small patches or in out-of-the-way places. But 

 those here described probably cover at least 90% of the uncultivated 

 land area treated, and the omission of any others wnll hardly be no- 

 ticed by persons not intimately acquainted with the area. 



Cultivated crops are not regarded as vegetation, for they do 

 not follow natural laws but grow where they are put. There is 

 more or less characteristic weedy vegetation in old fields, vacant 

 lots, along roadsides, etc., but that can be studied just as well after 

 the natural vegetation is all gone, and it is ignored for the present 

 (except that a few of the more abundant weeds have been in- 

 cluded in the regional plant lists). Of course it would be a mat- 

 ter of some interest to make a careful study of the weeds now, 

 and again every few^ decades to see what changes are taking 

 place, but limitations of time and money (if not enthusiasm) 

 have prevented. 



A good description of each vegetation type would include a list 

 of all but the rarest species, arranged according to size and abun- 

 dance (as was done for those in the "Ocala area" in the 7th Annual 

 Report), together with notes on the prevailing times of blooming, 

 colors of flowers, modes of dissemination, rate of growth, economic 

 properties, etc., but to do that would increase the bulk of this report 

 beyond reasonable limits, and consequently the descriptions have 

 been made as brief as possible. Some of them are supplemented by 



*For a rough classification of human occupations in ten grades see Sci- 

 entific Monthly (former Popular Science Monthly) 10:295-296. March, 1920. 



