a 
al 
120 Notices of the Floridas, &c. 
The sea board and southern portion of East Florida is 
mostly alluvial. The north-eastern part of the peninsula, 
between the head waters of St. Mary’s, the river St. John, 
the ocean, varies little in surface, soil, and vegetable 
productions, from the coast of Georgia, and is generally 
ver 
Cave e swamps and hammocks,* or dense groves, con- 
taining a variety of trees of annual and perennial verdure, 
are insulated in this generally pine barren region, ranging 
parallel with the ocean, or bordering on streams. The 
surface soil of the pine barrens and branch swamps, is 
mostly fine sand, blended with vegetable mould in propor- 
tion to the moisture of the ground, often resting = 
o 
the rainy months of June, July, and August, when crops 
are on the ground, the swamps are filled with water which 
falls in torrents, and slowly ciate ie from the flat surface of 
or ara daetveyed bf fires 
proceeding from accident, or annually kindled to foster 
grass, which in spring clothes the ground with a luxuriant 
carpet often presenting, as far as vision can extend, beau 
tiful green lawns and prairies tesembling young wheat 
fields. Fires are most intense on ground much of the 
year wet, and producing a rank vegetation; many trees are 
destroyed, they are swept from large tracts, forming 
prairies, or left single, and in park-like groups. Except 
on its — the peninsula of St. Toi: is an unsettled 
wilderness 
hammock: is in general use in Florida, as descriptive of a 
pan or forest, vs a diversity of trees, usually live oak, magno- 
babe gpa aple, &c. in prise ae to open woods of pine bar- 
aoe, grea 7 per ocsicating at the sou It is a term used ingall their 
news; wspepers and i descriptions in Saas and was introduced into the 
late ee « . a . , 
r is regarded as the ee 
ee me some these thickets are divided into wet and d 
