9 



impentrable jungles; but when the hammock land ends 

 and the sand begins, the hardwoods give way to Cuban 

 and sand pine, and the change from a rich and luxuriant 

 vegetation to a thin and poor one is often almost instan- 

 taneous. The pines in the southern part of the State are 

 generally but not always small. There is abundance of 

 rain, but in many places the white sand contains so little 

 humus that trees do not reach a large size. 



Agriculture has not yet greatly lessened the timber 

 areas of Florida. About one acre in eight has been 

 cleared. In many parts, in the southern half of the State 

 particularly, the forest cover is so thin that the woods 

 afford about as good pasturage as if the trees were not 

 there. In the northern part, where the hardwoods of 

 the Appalachian region overlap on Florida and soil is 

 better, the forests" are generally much heavier. 



Many of the Florida rivers are ideal as driving streams 

 for logs. The currents are sluggish, and the water 

 usually deep. There are a few bars and no rapids. On 

 small streams the chief obstacle in the way of log driving 

 is frequently trees which grow along the banks and down 

 to the extreme low water mark. These trunks sometimes 

 so nearly close the channels that little space is left for 

 logs to pass through. That difSculty is not often met on 

 the larger rivers. 



The study of the wood-using industries of Florida was 

 made in the spring of 1912, and was carried out under 

 the same plan as other similar State studies. All known 

 manufacturers of wood commodities in the State were 

 sent blanks to be filled, showing the extent and character 

 of their operations, the kinds of woods employed, and 



