FLORIDA 



2214 



FLORIDA 



east coast near the north, two miles out at sea, 

 one spring comes to the surface with such 

 force that ocean waves roll back from it as 

 though it were 'a low reef. It has been esti- 

 mated that about 400 tons of limestone are 

 worn away each year by Florida's springs. 



Harbors and Coast. The eastern shore line 

 is very even, but, as it is bordered with numer- 

 ous sand reefs, it has a few good harbors. Bis- 

 cayne Bay at the extreme south, and the 

 harbor of Saint Augustine near the north, are 

 used to some extent by merchant vessels. The 

 mouths of the Saint Mary's and Saint John's 

 rivers, near the north, have been improved so 

 that vessels can steam as far as Fernandina on 

 the former .and Jacksonville on the latter. 



The western coast has the best harbors, and 

 large vessels enter Charlotte Harbor and the 

 bays of Tampa and Pensacola. Among the 

 Florida Keys are numerous good harbors, but 

 the one at Key West, on the westernmost key 

 and actually west of Tampa, is the most im- 

 portant commercially. At Ormond, about 

 fifty miles south of Saint Augustine, the beach 

 is smooth and hard and is a favorite spot for 

 automobile races. 



Climate, Vegetation and Animals. Florida 

 is a state of even and healthful climate. It 

 lies far enough south to be almost entirely 

 free from severe cold, and summer heat is 

 modified by the ocean on one side and the 

 Gulf on the other. The average winter tem- 

 perature is 60 ; frost is almost unknown. In 

 summer the average temperature is 78, and 

 the thermometer rarely rises higher than 90. 

 Summer is said to last two-thirds of the year, 

 and there are on an average 250 clear days. A 

 daily paper in Saint Petersburg advertises that 

 it makes no charge to its subscribers for their 

 papers on days when the sun does not shine 

 in that city; it has very few "free days." 



June, July and August constitute the rainy 

 season, and the rainfall is heavy, being fifty- 

 five inches at Jacksonville and over sixty inches 

 in some places on the gulf coast. Though 

 fevers occur in some sections, there are so 

 many delightful spots that Florida has be- 

 come the winter playground of the North and 

 a sanitarium for thousands of invalids. Those 

 afflicted with throat or mild lung diseases find 

 the dry pine regions especially beneficial. 



This state is rich in subtropical vegetation. 

 It is a place of royal palms and flowers in 

 luxuriance almost the year round; with re- 

 gions abounding in orange trees (the fragrant 

 orange blossom being the state flower) and 



fig, lemon, guava, pomegranate, banana and 

 olive trees, pineapple, tobacco and sugar cane 

 plants. In the forested spots, which cover 

 a large portion of the state, are found cypress 

 trees, long-leaf pines, live oaks, great masses of 

 curious mangroves, and numerous other trees 

 of value and interest. In addition to bright- 

 hued birds like herons, flamingos and parrots, 

 with their gay attire, there is much to attract 

 the sportsman. Wild turkeys and game birds 

 are abundant. Deer, raccoons, opossums and 

 a small species of black bear are found. Alli- 

 gators and turtles and tarpon, shad and other 

 game fish fill the waters. Rattlesnakes, poison- 

 ous serpents and insect pests are also abundant 

 in certain sections. Yet to many lovers of 

 the wonders of nature, Florida is a place of 

 enchantment, a "land of delicious lights and 

 floating shades." 



The Land and Its Products. Florida has the 

 distinction of growing over ninety-nine per 

 cent of some of the tropical crops of the 

 United States, namely, avocado pears, bananas, 

 kumquats, limes and pineapples. It is the 

 home, too, of the grape fruit and the tanger- 

 ine, 'of which its production is nine-tenths of 

 the nation's. More important, though, is the 

 orange yield, which is only one-third that of 

 California but brings the state several million 

 dollars each year. Peaches, pears, pecans, 

 grapes, figs, plums and prunes, lemons, guavas, 

 mangoes, apples, persimmons, walnuts, mulber- 

 ries and cocoanuts are also raised. 



The crop which brings the largest return to 

 the state is corn, of which about 12,000,000 

 bushels are produced each year twice the 

 amount harvested in 1905. Sea island cotton 

 and peanuts add several million dollars to the 

 wealth of the state each year, and sweet pota- 

 toes, potatoes, sugar cane and tobacco are 

 nearly as profitable. But next to the fruit 

 yield in importance are the vegetables, which 

 are grown for the early demands of Northern 

 markets. Tomatoes bring the largest total re- 

 turns, but distinctive crops such as eggplant, 

 green peppers and okra are receiving increasing 

 attention. 



Stock raising is an important branch of agri- 

 culture, horses, mules, pigs, sheep, milch cows 

 and other cattle being numerous. The timber 

 lands of Florida are of vast importance, large 

 quantities of such products as pitch-pine, tar, 

 turpentine and rosin being exported each year. 



Minerals. There are comparatively few 

 erals in Florida, but phosphate rock is found 

 almost everywhere in the state. In some sec- 



