1 8. PENINSULAR LAKE REGION. 325 



About 79.6% of the trees are evergreen, 15.4% of the shrubs are Ericaceae, 

 and 15.270 of the herbs are Leguniinosae. This is a much larger proportion of 

 Ericaceae and a smaller proportion of Legummosae than in the lime-sink region, 

 and doubtless indicates signiricant differences in the soil. It is noteworthy that 

 the percentage of evergreens among the small trees, shrubs and vines is consid- 

 erably higher here than in the lime-sink region, though that of evergreen trees 

 is nearly the same in both. 



Economic Features — For some reason, or combination of 

 reasons, lumbering and turpentining do not seeni to be practised as 

 extensively in this region as in most other parts of Florida. There 

 is not very much farming either, and what little there is is much 

 more typically Floridian than that in the lime-sink region, where the 

 crops are mostly the staples common to all the southeastern states. 

 In the lake region, unlike any previously described, citrous fruits 

 lead, and cotton and corn are of secondary importance. The leading 

 crops in Putnam County in 1912, in order of value, were as follows: 

 Oranges, Irish potatoes, grapefruit, corn, sweet potatoes, peaches, 

 sea-island cotton, field peas (and hay thereof), watermelons, pea- 

 nuts, pears, oats, tomatoes, cabbage, plums, pecans, rice and up- 

 land cotton. If the flatwoods which cover about half the county 

 could be excluded, it would probably make Irish potatoes, corn and 

 cotton take a still lower rank. 



The proportion of improved land in Clay and Putnam Coun- 

 ties (including both lake region and flatwoods) in 19 10 was less 

 than 4%, and the density of population about 15 per square mile, an 

 increase of 12% in ten years. White people are evidently in the 

 majority in the lake region. 



One of the greatest assets of this region is its scenery. This 

 together with the climate for which Florida is famous attracts many 

 winter visitors of an unostentatious class, who like to enjoy them- 

 selves in a simple way. 



