12 



young trees destroyed and the old trunks weakened. A 

 thousand seedling pines perish that a hog may lay on a 

 few pounds of fat ; and Florida sentiment generally does 

 not seem to oppose the process. 



THE UNUSED WOODS OF FLORIDA. 



Florida has 165 unused species of trees, a few more or 

 a few less, depending upon whether some of the minor 

 species are included or excluded. Trees which belong 

 in northern latitudes reach into the northern part of the 

 State and there have their southern limit, while others 

 which are tropical or semitropical reach their northern 

 limit somewhere in the State. 



It is a wealth of species rather than a wealth of wood, 

 because in a commercial sense many of the trees are not 

 of much importance on account of scarcity, or the small 

 size, or poor form of trunks. A few of the most abundant 

 supply nearly all the lumber cut in Florida; while the 

 scores of others contribute very small amounts now, with 

 little prospect that the amount can ever be much increased. 

 The State is at present an important lumber producer; 

 but, with the depletion of the principal woods, it may be 

 expected that the annual output of sawmills will fall to 

 a much lower place. That will tend to bring into use 

 the numerous scarce and small species, and the wood- 

 using industries may be expected to undergo a change. 

 The output of planing mill products will diminish as the 

 pine and cypress grow scarcer; and the manufacture of 

 articles from cabinet woods, which are numerous and at- 

 tractive, though in total amount not large, may be ex- 

 pected to increase until in time that will become the 

 leading wood-using industry of Florida. 



