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ECONOMIC BOTANY OF ALABAMA. 



The water of springs and wells in the superficial clays 

 and sands of this region and adjacent parts of Florida is 

 exceptionally pure. 



Climate. — The climatological data for Citronelle, 

 Flomaton, Daphne and Mobile show that this region has 

 an average temperature of about 67° and a growing sea- 

 son of about 270 days. The rainfall is not only heavier 

 than in other parts of the state (about 59 inches annual- 

 ly), but, what is probably equally important to the vege- 

 tation, the summers are decidedly wetter than the win- 

 ters, a fact which tends to keep the ground-water level 

 more constant than it is elsewhere, and retards the proc- 

 esses of soil weathering to some extent. 



Forest types. — As in the region last described, the 

 greater part of the area has been covered with open 

 park-like forests of long-leaf pine, subject to frequent 

 fires which tend to keep down underbrush. The herbace- 

 ous vegetation of these forests is as characteristic as the 

 pines. Near some of the streams, especially in their 

 forks and on bluffs, where fire is practically barred, the 

 forests are of the hammock type. Of the three kinds of 

 swamps above mentioned, the non-alluvial peaty ones 

 bordering the smaller streams are much the most numer- 

 ous. The vegetation of shallow ponds is much like that 

 of similar habitats in the lime-sink region. 



