INTRODUCTION 



In connection with the preparation of the report on the peat 

 deposits of Florida, issued by the State Geological Survey in 1910 

 in co-operation with the United States Geological Survey, Dr. R. 

 M. Harper, the author, collected during the years 1908, 1909 and 

 1910, a large number of notes relating to the natural geographic 

 divisions and the native vegetation of the State. The data thus 

 obtained formed the basis of the division of the State into geo- 

 graphic provinces as given in the peat report. Since the publication 

 of that report, however, Dr. Harper has materially added to these 

 notes, and to the bibliographic references bearing on this subject. 

 He has taken also a large number of photographs, most of those 

 used in this report having been contributed by him. 



The division of the State into its geographic provinces as given 

 in the earlier report having proved useful and suggestive, and the 

 edition of that report being now practically exhausted, it has seemed 

 advisable, utilizing the large amount of data already available, to is- 

 sue a detailed report relating specifically to the geography and vege- 

 tation of the State. For this purpose the data on hand are being sup- 

 plemented, and have been brought up to date for northern Florida 

 by additional field work by Dr. Harper during the year 1914. For 

 southern Florida additional data are necessary. The present report 

 is therefore limited to northern and western Florida, including 

 about Iwo-fifths of the area and three-fifths of the present popula- 

 tion of the State. 



The problem of determining the agricultural capabilities of 

 virgin soils by means of the native vegetation is one that has en- 

 gaged many investigators, and there is perhaps no place in the 

 eastern United States where this question can be studied to greater 

 advantage or profit than in Florida where the original vegetation 

 still remains over approximately nine-tenths of the whole area. 

 Moreover, since the agricultural lands of Florida are being rapidly 

 settled and cleared it is important to preserve at this time a record 

 of the original distribution of the native vegetation together with 

 its relation to the geographic divisions of the State, and to make 

 this record available in subsequent more detailed soil studies. 



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