■ 20. EAST COAST STRIP. 343 



region. The fertile marshes and dune hollows cannot be cultivated 

 without extensive diking and ditching to get rid of the salt water 

 (as has been done successfully in Holland), and the population is 

 hardly dense enough yet to warrant such undertakings. The per- 

 manent inhabitants, outside of Fernandina, are mostly fishermen, 

 persons engaged in some branch of navigation or commerce, and 

 those who cater to the wants of tourists. The coquina rock has 

 been used largely for building purposes in and around St. Augustine, 

 for over 300 years. 



