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in this region only on the iron ore, an earthy deposit of limonite 
overlying the mountain rock, which is a kind of serpentine. The 
surface is always a bright red, but underneath it often passes 
through various shades of brown to bright ocher-yellow. It is 
very porous, so that in spite of the frequent rains the pinelands 
always seem dry, and its pulverulent nature reddens everything 
coming in contact with it. I understand that steps are being 
taken to manufacture paint from it, as various shades of red, 
brown and yellow can be secured by different degrees of cal- 
cination. The surface beneath the pine trees is covered either 
by dry wiry grasses, bracken ferns, or deciduous shrubbery, 
among which frequently occurs a huckleberry (Vaccinium) some- 
times becoming tree-like and up to ten feet in height, bearing 
bright red flowers and dark red or black fruit. A spiny tree- 
fern and a fan-leaved palm are also found in this formation, but 
very few deciduous trees grow in the midst of the pinelands; 
however, on the edges they are often abundant and of large size. 
e deciduous woody growth follows rocky streams and the 
steep bailaies usually bordering them, where an accumulation 
of humus frequently forms a rich, thick soil. Here one finds a 
great variety of trees and shrubs with many epiphytic orchids, 
bromeliads and ferns; also numerous mosses and filmy-ferns. 
Sphagnum forms small patches in the boggy forest or thicket, 
especially where a streamlet has its source. 
Below the plateau, the steep and much eroded mountain sides 
are composed of serpentine boulders, rocks and precipices with 
little or no soil. These are very dry and incapable of retaining 
much moisture, except near streams. The slopes are covered 
by a low scrub with very few trees. As a whole, the growth is 
very dense, often spiny and frequently matted together with 
vines, or made impenetrable by a woody vine-like grass. A great 
variety of species occurs in this scrub, but very few are her- 
baceous. Epiphytic orchids and ferns are also scarce. A fan- 
leaved palm, different from the one seen among the pines, and 
apparently of the same species as the so-called mountain palm 
Holenin, occurs {Oy ard me lower elevations. A species of 
glyscattered throughout this formation, which 
r 
