REPORT ON THE WOOD USING 

 INDUSTRIES OF FLORIDA 



By HU MAXWELL 



PREFACE 



Florida extends farther south than any other State, 

 and approaches within sixty miles of the torrid zone. It 

 covers six and one-half degrees of latitude. No part of 

 the State has a cold climate, but many tree species which 

 flourish in the cool Appalachian Mountain ranges extend 

 into northern Florida, and there find the boundary of 

 their ranges. The southern portion of the State has a 

 sub-tropical climate, and the vegetation shows it. Where 

 there are soil and fertility enough to support vegetation, 

 it is very dense. Trees belonging to tropical regions nave 

 gained a foothold along the southern coasts and upon 

 the hundreds of islands and reefs lying near the shores 

 of the peninsula. Several tree species are found there 

 and nowhere else in the United States. 



The greatest length of Florida is 700 miles, and its 

 average width is 90 miles. Its area is 58,680 square miles, 

 of which 4,440 are water. Its coast line is longer rhan 

 that of any other State, and notwithstanding much shal- 

 low water near shore, there are a number of excellent 

 harbors. No point in the State rises more than 300 feet 



