THE ORIGIN OF THE HAMMOCKS 201 



on the trees and the young forest begins to take 

 on the appearance of a fuUfledged hammock. 



I believe that under favorable conditions the 

 hammocks develop very rapidly. Partly sur- 

 rounding a sink on Long Key, in the Lower Ever- 

 glades, is a young hammock of about an acre in 

 extent, consisting mostly of live oaks. On the 

 bank of the central water hole a dozen pine trees 

 formerly stood — trees which had probably com- 

 pleted their growth before the hammock started, 

 and which were doubtless killed by the incoming 

 live oaks. They had finally fallen with their 

 heads dipping into the water. At the time of my 

 first visit to this place the bark and sapwood of 

 these pines were completely decayed, but the 

 heartwood was sound. The fact gives a clew — 

 or even the positive evidence of the age of this 

 hammock. It could not have been over fifty 

 years, probably less than half that. 



At the time of my first visit to this young ham- 

 mock, my neighbor, John Soar, Wilson Popenoe, 

 of the Department of Agriculture, and I took a 

 two days' tramp over Long Key to botanize and 

 explore. We left our impedimenta on the bank of 

 the pool where we intended to camp. When night 



