l-J. PENINSULAR LIME-SINK REGION. 319 



herbs grow in the dry long-leaf pine forests, and quite a number of them 

 are more abundant here than in any other region previously described. 



About 79.3% of the trees are evergreen, only 2.3% of the shrubs are 

 Ericaceae, and over 20% of the herbs are Leguminosae. The figure for ever- 

 green trees is mostly made up by one species, the long-leaf pine, which prefers 

 richer soils than some other evergreens, and the proportion of evergreens among 

 the shrubs and herbs is perceptibly lower. The very low figure for Ericaceae 

 is partially explained by the scarcity of low pine land, sour bays, non-alluvial 

 swamps, etc., but not wholly, for Gaylussacia dumosa, the commonest Ericaceous 

 shrub in the somewhat similar Bellair sand region, has not been observed in the 

 lime-sink region at all. It is possible that the soil is a little too limy for these 

 plants, as was suggested in the case of the Gulf hammock region. The percent- 

 age of Leguminosae is among the highest, and is doubtless correlated with the 

 prevalence of fire and consequent scarcity of humus, as well as the dry and 

 somewhat calcareous nature of the soil. 



Economic Features — Although the prevaiHng dry sandy soil 

 might look very unpromising, to a person unaccustomed to such 

 soils, it is capable of producing excellent crops. In 1910 about 22^ 

 of the area was improved land (a pretty high figure for Florida), 

 and there were about 24 inhabitants to the square mile, an increase 

 of 12% in ten years. White people are slightly in the ma- 

 jority. Probably the chief drawback to residence in this region is 

 the scarcity of water, but that same condition also makes mosquitoes 

 scarce, which is no small compensation. 



'Some of the largest sawmills in the State have operated here, 

 turning out a vast amount of long-leaf pine lumber, and the supply 

 is far from being exhausted yet. Turpentining is of course also an 

 important industry. Around the phosphate mines, particularly in 

 Alachua County, the pine has been cut out pretty thoroughly for 

 fuel for drying the phosphate rock, leaving most desolate landscapes 

 (see fig. 83) . But thickets of young pines are springing up in many 

 places, (there seemed to be more of them in 19 14 than in 1909), and 

 if more conservative methods of drying the rock are adopted soon, 

 or even if the present depression in the phosphate export trade con- 

 tinues long enough, the forests may have a good chance to restore 

 themselves. 



The only county which is mostly in this region is Suwannee, 

 and no crop returns were received from that by the State agricul- 

 tural department in 19 12. But according to the State census of 1905 

 its leading crops, in order of value, were as follows : Sea-island 

 cotton, corn, peanuts, sugar-cane, sweet potatoes, field peas, (grass) 

 hay, oats, velvet beans, pecans, peaches, and watermelons. 



