"LIVE OAKS." 183 



by the aid of models, which — like fragments of the skeleton of 

 a ship — show the forms and sizes required, the ' hewers ' com- 

 mence their labours. 



" Thus, reader, perhaps every known hummock in the Floridas 

 is annually attacked; and so often does it happen that the 

 white rot, or some other disease, has deteriorated the quality of 

 the timber, that the woods may be seen strewn with trunks that 

 have been found worthless, so that every year these valuable 

 oaks are becoming scarcer. The destruction of the young 

 trees of this species, caused by the fall of the great trunks, is 

 of course immense ; and as there are no artificial plantations of 

 these trees in our country, before long a good-sized live oak 

 will be so valuable, that its owner will exact an enormous price 

 for it, even while it yet stands in the wood. In my opinion, 

 formed on personal observation, live-oak hummocks are not 

 quite as plentiful as they are represented to be ; and of this I 

 will give you one illustration. 



" On the 25th of February, 1832, I happened to be far up St. 

 John's Kiver, East Florida, in company of a person employed 

 by our government in protecting the 'live oaks' of that 

 section of the country, and who received a good salary for his 

 trouble. While we were proceeding along one of the banks of 

 that most singular river, my companion pointed out some large 

 hummocks of dark-leaved trees on the opposite side, which he 

 said were entirely formed of live oaks. I thought differently, 

 and as our controversy on the subject became a little warm, I 

 proposed that our men should row us to the place, where we 

 might examine the leaves and timber, and so decide the point. 

 We soon landed, but after inspecting the woods, not a single 

 tree of the species did we find, although there were thousands 

 of large ' swamp oaks.' My companion acknowledged his 

 mistake, and I continued to search for birds. 



" One dark evening, as I was seated on the banks of the same 

 river, considering what arrangements I should make for the 

 night — as it began to rain in torrents — a man, who happened to 

 see me, came up and invited me to go to his cabin, which he 

 said was not far off. I accepted this kind offer, and followed 

 him to his humble dwelling. There I found his wife, several 

 children, and a number of men, who, as my host told me, were. 



