278 FLORIDA GEOLOGICAL SURVEY SIXTH ANNUAL REPORT. 



The abundance of wild cherry, chinaberry, persimtaon, sassafras, wild 

 plum, Cherokee rose, lantanas, and the multitude of herbaceous weeds is 

 easily explained by the fact that this region has been longer and more 

 extensively cultivated than any other area of the same size in Florida. 

 This is the only region in the state in which weeds predominate (in bulk, 

 not necessarily in species) over native herbs. Some of the weeds doubt- 

 less have their soil preferences too, and might not thrive in the more 

 sandy parts of Florida. It is significant that almost none of the weeds 

 are evergreen. 



In the case of some of the species whose names are followed by (X) 

 in_ the foregoing plant list, one finds no intimiation in current botanical 

 manuals that they are not indigenous in Florida, and some of them are 

 probably here branded as weeds for the first time. But they grow only 

 in artificial or unnatural habitats, such as fields and roadsides, and could 

 hardly have existed here before the country was inhabited (though some 

 of them were probably here with the Indians several centuries ago). 

 Whether or not they are native anywhere else in the United States is a 

 question that does not need to be considered here. 



The following trees, which are more or less common not far away, 

 or in other red hill regions, are rare or wanting here : — Piniis serotina, P. 

 clausa, Taxodium distichum, Juniperus, Sabal Palmetto, Juglans, Hicoria 

 aquatica, Populus, Salix longipes, Betula, Quercus geminata, Q. Pliellos, 

 Q. cinerea, Q. Cateshaei, Ulnius (all species), Magnolia macrophylla, Lir- 

 iodendron, Platanus, Gleditschia, Persea, and Fraxinus. Some of fhese 

 prefer poor sandy soils and some alluvial soils, both of v\rhich are almost 

 v^^anting here; while the reasons for the absence of a few of them are less 

 evident. 



The proportions of evergreens and Ericaceae are rather low, 53-1% 

 and 8% respectively, while that of Leguminosae is above the average; 

 all of which indicates fertile soils. (It is hardl}'- worth while to figure out 

 the exact percentage of Leguminosae for this region, as most of them 

 are weeds.) Grasses are quite abundant here too, a fact of interest to 

 the stockman and dairyman. 



The evergreens generally keep their leaves about two years, and the de- 

 ciduous trees seven or eight months. 



Economic Feaimres — For the whole of Leon County in 19 10 the 

 proportion of improved land was estimated at 24%, the density of 

 population 27 per square mile (a little less than in 1900), and the 

 proportion of whites 24%. For the red hill portion of the county 

 the proportion of improved land is considerably higher, probably at 

 least 40% (and adding abandoned fields to this doubtless makes the 

 forests less than half the area), the density of population is greater, 

 perhaps as much as 40 inhabitants to the square mile, and the per- 

 centage of whites, outside of Tallahassee, even less. 



This region was cultivated by the Indians long before the white 

 man came, and until within the last few decades it was the leading 

 agricultural section of the State in proportion to its size, with the 



