I 



1917] GANO— ECOLOGY OF FLORIDA 367 



Comparative observations 



* 



In considering the upland forests in their successional stages, 

 data concerning the evaporation, soil moisture, and certain climatic 

 factors, and their relation to the associations discussed, have been 

 collected. Evaporation records were secured by the use of Living- 

 ston atmometers, following the investigations of Fuller (4) and 

 others. Rain-correcting valves were used, the cups were kept 



same 



ingly. 



meso 



type, in a Spanish oak-post oak-hickory forest, in a short-leaved 

 pine forest, in a beech opening in the short-leaved pine forest, in 

 the dry pine woods (long-leaved pines), in the scrub oaks associa- 

 tion, and in the flatwoods. Meadow stations were also placed, 

 but their records are not complete. The stations were located in 

 as nearly typical situations as possible, the atmometers in each case 

 being placed at the surface of the ground. All records demonstrate 

 a constantly high evaporation as one of the climatic results, and all 

 show a general relation between the evaporation and precipitation 



marked maxima 



maj 



winter and the summer 

 early May dry season, 1 



evident in late September and early October, after the summer rains 

 have ceased. All records show a sudden rise in spring from the 

 lowest point in December or January to the April or May maximum 

 (June for the long-leaved pine forest) . This corresponds generally 

 to the period of the vernation of the deciduous species and to the 

 renewal of foliage by many of the evergreens. Winter records for 

 the highland stations were uninterrupted by frost through two 

 consecutive winters, but each lowland station suffered once or 

 twice each winter. 



Of the upland stations, the average daily evaporation is lowest 

 for the mesophytic climax (magnolia-beech) forest, being 8.5 cc. 

 daily, estimated for a period during which an unbroken record was 

 obtained from December 24 to May 1; this is the most critical 

 Period, including from the January minimum to the April maximum. 



same period of time 



ave 



